Tense: Past or Present, and Why?

Lemurion · 01-25-2014, 01:41 PM

It's a simple question, do you prefer to write in past or present tense, and why?

Personally, I greatly prefer past tense. Not only does it feel more natural towrite in, but I also find it less intrusive.

The idea behind present tense, as I understand it, is that it creates a sense of immediacy, with the idea that it drives greater reader engagement. Personally, I find it creates an artificial immediacy, and for me, the artifice often outweighs the immediacy.

The problem with that, speaking as much as a reader as a writer, is that if I'm paying attention to the writing, I'm not paying attention to the story... that's a bad thing.

crich70 · 01-25-2014, 02:20 PM

I think past tense is the tense that most of us read and write in for at least 90% of the time when dealing with fiction. i.e. Tommy threw the ball, Jane opened the letter, etc. It looks like present tense in that it is happening in the story now, but it is actually past tense. I tend to associate present tense with the viewpoint of the main character i.e. 'you go to the door and look through the peep hole to see who is there.'

Lemurion · 01-25-2014, 02:28 PM

I see present used in both first and third person, but I do think it works better (or not as badly in most cases) in first person.

As for second person, only in choose your own adventure books.

Canuck_in_Japan · 01-25-2014, 10:45 PM

As a reader I find books written in the present tense extremely jarring.

AlexBell · 01-26-2014, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canuck_in_Japan

As a reader I find books written in the present tense extremely jarring.

I don't think I've ever been able to manage more than one paragraph.

VydorScope · 01-26-2014, 06:46 AM

IMO, The answer to any question like this is "depends on the story and the author."

For example - Hunger Games - First Person Present - I think we can all say it did well in the market. I doubt you will find a combination more claimed to be hated the "First person present" - and yet Hunger Games did well.

If the book is good, you should not notice the tense.

pdurrant · 01-26-2014, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VydorScope

If the book is good, you should not notice the tense.

True, but I still voted against present tense. If I notice it, I don't like it. if I don't notice it, why bother?

Yapyap · 01-26-2014, 12:27 PM

My two cents as a reader...

I nearly gave up on The Hunger Games, half a page into the first book, because of the tense.

It took me two months to decide to give it another go, and that time I persisted long enough to more or less tune out the present tense. Also, it did get me more used to it, which is, I suppose, a good thing, as at one point it seemed every single YA dystopia was written in first person present tense.

So by now it's not a problem for me any more, but it does depend on the writer's skill - the narrator has to have a strong voice, and the author has to have a good hold on the narrative. Too many of the books I've read lately, using that tense + person combination, have come off... whiney, and affected, and breathless. That can be really irritating.

Still, it's better than third person present tense. Now that is something I dislike. Fortunately I only see it in pretentious literary fiction and fanfic written by pretentious teen girls who think they are writing literary fiction and are deep.

Seriously though, no offence meant to anyone who either enjoys reading or writes third person present tense. I'm sure that in good hands, it can be a strong tool to wield, and if the author feels a story demands a certain tense and person to come across exactly as intended, then that's what the story demands. I don't think I've ever read a third person present tense story I've enjoyed, but that's likely to do with me throwing a book down / backbuttoning out of a story in disgust as soon as I see the tense & person, so I wouldn't really know if any of them have actually been awesome.

Third person past tense is my favourite, although I don't mind first person past tense either.

My two cents as a never-been-published writer: I think doing some short stories in present tense, even if you prefer past tense (and vice versa!), is excellent practice. It's really quite interesting how much the tense can change the feel of the story, and it does teach you to pay attention to different things when writing.

And, of course, a writer should keep in mind that whatever tense & person combination he/she/xe/zhe chooses, there are going to be readers who will be put off by it. There are plenty of readers (especially in the YA target group) who've become avid readers on a steady diet of first person present tense, so being presented with third person past tense is something a lot of them don't like, or so I've gathered.

HarryT · 01-26-2014, 05:30 PM

I gave up on Patricia Cornwell's "Kay Scarpetta" series when she switched to writing in the present tense; I don't like it at all.

mr ploppy · 01-27-2014, 05:23 AM

I'd use it if it made sense to use it, but I don't have a preference either way. Same goes for reading. Done well it makes it more active for me, but done badly I don't get much further than the first couple of pages.

gmw · 01-27-2014, 08:23 AM

For me it's all about the story, present tense fits somethings and not others. Short stories often seem to work well in present tense, longer works not so much, it's too hard to keep it going without becoming irritating - especially when writing in the first person. Yes, the Hunger Games was a little jarring to start, but it did give the books a particular feel that I think the author did well to maintain.

MichelleLouring · 01-29-2014, 05:27 AM

As most others, I have a strained relationship with present tense. I can read that I wasn't the only one to almost give up on The Hunger Games because of the tense, but eventually I got used to it.
I once tried writing a short story in present tense. I gave up after three paragraphs because it felt so unnatural.

Pulpmeister · 01-30-2014, 09:58 AM

Ah, Damon Runyon and his "Broadway" short stories. I have heard that, perhaps entirely by accident, a single past tense is embedded in one of the many stories, but I have never found it.

"It is coming on spring in Newark, New Jersey, and one nice afternoon I am standing on Broad Street with a guy from Cleveland, Ohio, by the name of The Humming Bird, speaking of this and that, and one thing and another, when along comes a very tasty-looking young doll."

I absolutely can't imagine those stories of the guys and dolls of Depression era Broadway, doing the best they can, in the past tense. It would rob half the humour.

Lawrence Sanders wrote almost all his work in the past tense, but for his half-dozen novellas about a scruffy Wall-street 'tec, (Timothy's Game, The Timothy Files) which are well worth reading) he used present tense, and very effectively.

Normally I don't like it much, but when it's done well, as in those two cases, It's the goods.

Lemurion · 02-09-2014, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VydorScope

IMO, The answer to any question like this is "depends on the story and the author."

For example - Hunger Games - First Person Present - I think we can all say it did well in the market. I doubt you will find a combination more claimed to be hated the "First person present" - and yet Hunger Games did well.

If the book is good, you should not notice the tense.

I think you're right, but it's harder to write well enough that readers don't notice it in present than in past. It's unforgiving, and when it fails, it fails spectacularly. There's also the argument that many YA best sellers thrive on something other than the strength of the prose.

Twilight is probably the standout exemplar of that theory. The vast majority of writing professionals don't think much of the writing at all. It succeeded, not because it was well-written, but because it captured the hearts of a particular demographic. It was the story a lot of people wanted to read, and in the end, that mattered more than the author's technical skill.

(I used it as an example because I've looked at the Twilight books, but never even cracked a copy of any of the Hunger Games series so I can't speak to them other than to to say they're successful.)

cromag · 02-09-2014, 10:36 PM

I think the present tense conveys a sense of immediacy (duh!) and power, but it can be hard to maintain immediacy and urgency over the course of longer works. It also seems to me to be more natural when used with a "first person" narrator. Also, it requires a great deal of skill on the part of the author to keep it from becoming trite. At least, that's my opinion.

The past tense, on the other hand, seems much more traditional and comfortable (which is not really a bad thing).

View Poll Results: Which do you prefer, Past or Present Tense
Past tense	20	62.50%
Present tense	3	9.38%
Depends on the story	8	25.00%
What do you mean, tense? I'm not tense...	1	3.13%
Voters: 32. You may not vote on this poll

01-25-2014, 01:41 PM	#1
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	Tense: Past or Present, and Why? It's a simple question, do you prefer to write in past or present tense, and why? Personally, I greatly prefer past tense. Not only does it feel more natural towrite in, but I also find it less intrusive. The idea behind present tense, as I understand it, is that it creates a sense of immediacy, with the idea that it drives greater reader engagement. Personally, I find it creates an artificial immediacy, and for me, the artifice often outweighs the immediacy. The problem with that, speaking as much as a reader as a writer, is that if I'm paying attention to the writing, I'm not paying attention to the story... that's a bad thing.

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01-25-2014, 02:20 PM	#2
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	I think past tense is the tense that most of us read and write in for at least 90% of the time when dealing with fiction. i.e. Tommy threw the ball, Jane opened the letter, etc. It looks like present tense in that it is happening in the story now, but it is actually past tense. I tend to associate present tense with the viewpoint of the main character i.e. 'you go to the door and look through the peep hole to see who is there.'

01-25-2014, 02:28 PM	#3
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	I see present used in both first and third person, but I do think it works better (or not as badly in most cases) in first person. As for second person, only in choose your own adventure books.

01-25-2014, 10:45 PM	#4
Canuck_in_Japan Wizard Posts: 1,476 Karma: 14328611 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: Aura, Aura H2O, Kindle PW3	As a reader I find books written in the present tense extremely jarring.

01-26-2014, 06:46 AM	#6
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	IMO, The answer to any question like this is "depends on the story and the author." For example - Hunger Games - First Person Present - I think we can all say it did well in the market. I doubt you will find a combination more claimed to be hated the "First person present" - and yet Hunger Games did well. If the book is good, you should not notice the tense.

01-26-2014, 12:27 PM	#8
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	My two cents as a reader... I nearly gave up on The Hunger Games, half a page into the first book, because of the tense. It took me two months to decide to give it another go, and that time I persisted long enough to more or less tune out the present tense. Also, it did get me more used to it, which is, I suppose, a good thing, as at one point it seemed every single YA dystopia was written in first person present tense. So by now it's not a problem for me any more, but it does depend on the writer's skill - the narrator has to have a strong voice, and the author has to have a good hold on the narrative. Too many of the books I've read lately, using that tense + person combination, have come off... whiney, and affected, and breathless. That can be really irritating. Still, it's better than third person present tense. Now that is something I dislike. Fortunately I only see it in pretentious literary fiction and fanfic written by pretentious teen girls who think they are writing literary fiction and are deep. Seriously though, no offence meant to anyone who either enjoys reading or writes third person present tense. I'm sure that in good hands, it can be a strong tool to wield, and if the author feels a story demands a certain tense and person to come across exactly as intended, then that's what the story demands. I don't think I've ever read a third person present tense story I've enjoyed, but that's likely to do with me throwing a book down / backbuttoning out of a story in disgust as soon as I see the tense & person, so I wouldn't really know if any of them have actually been awesome. Third person past tense is my favourite, although I don't mind first person past tense either. My two cents as a never-been-published writer: I think doing some short stories in present tense, even if you prefer past tense (and vice versa!), is excellent practice. It's really quite interesting how much the tense can change the feel of the story, and it does teach you to pay attention to different things when writing. And, of course, a writer should keep in mind that whatever tense & person combination he/she/xe/zhe chooses, there are going to be readers who will be put off by it. There are plenty of readers (especially in the YA target group) who've become avid readers on a steady diet of first person present tense, so being presented with third person past tense is something a lot of them don't like, or so I've gathered.

01-26-2014, 05:30 PM	#9
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I gave up on Patricia Cornwell's "Kay Scarpetta" series when she switched to writing in the present tense; I don't like it at all.

01-27-2014, 05:23 AM	#10
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	I'd use it if it made sense to use it, but I don't have a preference either way. Same goes for reading. Done well it makes it more active for me, but done badly I don't get much further than the first couple of pages.

01-27-2014, 08:23 AM	#11
gmw cacoethes scribendi Posts: 5,818 Karma: 137770742 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura One & H2Ov2, Sony PRS-650	For me it's all about the story, present tense fits somethings and not others. Short stories often seem to work well in present tense, longer works not so much, it's too hard to keep it going without becoming irritating - especially when writing in the first person. Yes, the Hunger Games was a little jarring to start, but it did give the books a particular feel that I think the author did well to maintain.

01-29-2014, 05:27 AM	#12
MichelleLouring Owl Lady Posts: 34 Karma: 23716 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Denmark Device: Android Tablet	As most others, I have a strained relationship with present tense. I can read that I wasn't the only one to almost give up on The Hunger Games because of the tense, but eventually I got used to it. I once tried writing a short story in present tense. I gave up after three paragraphs because it felt so unnatural.

01-30-2014, 09:58 AM	#13
Pulpmeister Wizard Posts: 2,788 Karma: 29144810 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle	Ah, Damon Runyon and his "Broadway" short stories. I have heard that, perhaps entirely by accident, a single past tense is embedded in one of the many stories, but I have never found it. "It is coming on spring in Newark, New Jersey, and one nice afternoon I am standing on Broad Street with a guy from Cleveland, Ohio, by the name of The Humming Bird, speaking of this and that, and one thing and another, when along comes a very tasty-looking young doll." I absolutely can't imagine those stories of the guys and dolls of Depression era Broadway, doing the best they can, in the past tense. It would rob half the humour. Lawrence Sanders wrote almost all his work in the past tense, but for his half-dozen novellas about a scruffy Wall-street 'tec, (Timothy's Game, The Timothy Files) which are well worth reading) he used present tense, and very effectively. Normally I don't like it much, but when it's done well, as in those two cases, It's the goods.

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02-09-2014, 10:36 PM	#15
cromag Surfin the alpha waves ~~ Posts: 26,037 Karma: 459735575 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Jetbook Lite & Mini, Nook STR, Kobo, Hanvon N516, Kindle 2, Androids	I think the present tense conveys a sense of immediacy (duh!) and power, but it can be hard to maintain immediacy and urgency over the course of longer works. It also seems to me to be more natural when used with a "first person" narrator. Also, it requires a great deal of skill on the part of the author to keep it from becoming trite. At least, that's my opinion. The past tense, on the other hand, seems much more traditional and comfortable (which is not really a bad thing).