I started writing in spec screenplays, so I'm used to present tense. It just feels 'right'. But I've also read that that is a common experience with writers who start in screenplays.
I was listening to some of the podcasts at
Writing Excuses and they mentioned
Snow Crash as an example of present tense. Scanning through it again, there is a very strong narrative voice but no physical narrator in the story.
First paragraph:
Quote:
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"The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallow subcategory. He's got esprit up to here. Right now, he is preparing to carry out his third mission of the night. His uniform is black as activated charcoal, filtering the very light out of the air. A bullet will bounce off its arachnofiber weave like a wren hitting a patio door, but excess perspiration wafts through it like a breeze through a freshly napalmed forest. Where his body has bony extremities, the suit has sintered armorgel: feels like gritty jello, protects like a stack of telephone books."
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It goes on like that for a while, then he dials it back and relies more on action and dialogue. Looking at the notes from my reading group, I see that I confused them regarding POV and they were wanting that to be clear from the very beginning. I really don't want to invent a character to be the narrator, so I'll focus on letting the reader know this is third person.