Past vs. Present Tense: Which is best for your story?

[JediKnightMuse]

I have vague memories of writing role play posts in present tense, back when I was a Yahoo chat role player (so this was the late 90's to early 2000's), but I eventually caught on to the fact that I should be writing in past tense instead, especially in role play posts. As far as stories go, there's one story I did try to write in first person, present tense that's currently shelved. It not only was in first person, present tense, but the intention was to switch back and forth between the points of view of two characters, who were sisters. It was basically kind of like an Ana and Elsa-type-thing, only the Elsa in this case had someone influencing her choices and use of dark magic (basically, for any Star Wars fans, like Palpatine did with Anakin).

I don't hate present tense. I think it worked for The Hunger Games, and it can work for pretty much any story. But I don't think authors should use it just for the sake of following a trend that another author has started.

For me, it has to feel like a story could work well in present tense. The aforementioned story about the sisters felt like it could work well in present tense. One of the reasons I decided to do it that way was to challenge myself, because first person isn't something I do very often, if at all.

I feel like I read something not that long ago that was written in first person, present tense and it drove me a little batty but I can't remember what book it was. /unhelpful

 

[SaltyDog]

I have vague memories of writing role play posts in present tense, back when I was a Yahoo chat role player (so this was the late 90's to early 2000's), but I eventually caught on to the fact that I should be writing in past tense instead, especially in role play posts. As far as stories go, there's one story I did try to write in first person, present tense that's currently shelved. It not only was in first person, present tense, but the intention was to switch back and forth between the points of view of two characters, who were sisters. It was basically kind of like an Ana and Elsa-type-thing, only the Elsa in this case had someone influencing her choices and use of dark magic (basically, for any Star Wars fans, like Palpatine did with Anakin).

I don't hate present tense. I think it worked for The Hunger Games, and it can work for pretty much any story. But I don't think authors should use it just for the sake of following a trend that another author has started.

For me, it has to feel like a story could work well in present tense. The aforementioned story about the sisters felt like it could work well in present tense. One of the reasons I decided to do it that way was to challenge myself, because first person isn't something I do very often, if at all.

I feel like I read something not that long ago that was written in first person, present tense and it drove me a little batty but I can't remember what book it was. /unhelpful

I don't hate it, hate is a very strong word, more of just like something (Past tense) over it. If someone came up to me and said, hey read this awesome book and it's written in present tense, I would, or at least give it a try.

I think the Hunger Games could be just because I didn't like the book so much, and I decided to blame it on the present tense, lol.

 

[JediKnightMuse]

The first book was hard for me to get into at first, but after a few chapters it drew me in, and the first person, present tense didn't bother me. It took a bit to get used to it, I think, but otherwise it was easy to read.

 

[Chessie]

Actually, Svrtnsse writes a good story in present. Maybe he'll stop by here and drop some insight.

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

I have to say that present tense is epidemic in YA for no other reason than that's how a YA book is written. I've read lots of YA written in present that would, in my opinion, have been much better in past. I wouldn't say present tense as a whole is a fad, but in YA it definitely is.

 

[FifthView]

I've read lots of YA written in present that would, in my opinion, have been much better in past.

So...as a writing strategy, one could write a novel in present tense with the understanding that one would revise it to past later.

I guess that present tense would be future past tense, then.

 

[Heliotrope]

Pretty much everything from my young adult life is better in the past.

 

[Chessie]

Pretty much everything from my young adult life is better in the past.

Haha. So true!

 

[Deleted member 4265]

So I stumbled across this and I thought it was relevant even though its old since (in my opinion) Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the few people who can do present tense really well. http://http://robertjacksonbennett.com/blog/on-the-present-tense

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

Pretty much everything from my young adult life is better in the past.

Hahahaha!!

 

[DragonOfTheAerie]

So...as a writing strategy, one could write a novel in present tense with the understanding that one would revise it to past later.

I guess that present tense would be future past tense, then.

Mythic Scribes: the Tense of Future Past

 

[FifthView]

So I stumbled across this and I thought it was relevant even though its old since (in my opinion) Robert Jackson Bennett is one of the few people who can do present tense really well. http://http://robertjacksonbennett.com/blog/on-the-present-tense

Interesting blog post. (Link needs fixing.)