I'm currently in the midst of rewriting my WIP from past to present tense. (Yup, that's about as fun as it sounds.) I've never used present tense before--it hasn't come naturally to the story, the POV, or my writing style. But when I first scribbled down the first six pages of this story,* I used present tense. It was one of those Ouija board writing moments. Weird.
So weird, in fact, that I when I kept drafting the WIP I quickly switched to past. I wrote the whole first draft, all 65K, in past tense. Now that I'm finally revising it, I am switching the whole thing back. This is odd because I don't typically like present tense. I am rarely a fan as a reader, and definitely not as a writer. I worry that present tense is gimmicky (or will be interpreted as such). Mary Kole has some reassuring words on that; Philip Pullman does not.
The reason why I'm making this switch is that the narrator's voice came to me as present tense. The urgency works for the story; it complements the POV. Past projects would've sounded strange in present tense, but this WIP sounds strange in any other. And so I forge ahead, swapping was for is and cutting hads all over the place. We'll see how it turns out.
Do you favor one tense over another? Do you have strong reactions to reading any particular tense?
17 comments:
I've noticed that ever since I started writing in present tense it's hard for me to write in past. Although, I don't prefer one over the other when it comes to reading.
Good luck with your WIP.
I've read and critted stuff in present tense but haven't written any.
As a reader, if done well, present tense is sort of like an IMAX screen...a little jarring for the first five minutes, then I don't notice it anymore.
As a writer, I think there are stories (like you said) that work well with present tense, but it shouldn't be used just to be different or trendy.
I'm definitely a past tenser. I don't think I've written any of my WIPs as present tense, but it seems like it would be a fun challenge!
I don't mind reading present tense usually, especially if the story is suspenseful, but for contemporary romance (which is what I write and read the most) I think it's usually SO unnecessary. And a bit clunky. I read one recently and the present tense was very distracting for me because it served absolutely no purpose in the story.
I've had the exact same experience. It makes sense to trust your gut - that after reading and writing for so many years, you intuitively know how the story needs to be told. But then I start over-thinking/analyzing everything!
My go-to tense is past, but in a few short stories and while writing snippets of possible story scenes I have slipped into present. When it keeps happening in the same short story, I take the hint.
I prefer to read in past, but agree with what Jennifer Hoffine said: it's jarring at first, but then you get used to it.
I'm a past-tenser when I write. I've tried a few times to start something in present, but it just didn't feel right.
I just did the same thing, although with just a fragment of a WIP. I like the uncertainty and unreliability of present tense--you get what the M.C. experiences, and if s/he has to re-think something later, so do you.
Controversy aside: it was an interesting way to re-read and re-consider what I had written. I might try it in the future as a writing/revising technique, if I am stuck on something--just go through it changing the tense, and see what comes out.
I'm not entirely sure the present tense will make it past this round of revision--but I think it's worth a shot. I'm finding as I go through that even after I started drafting in past tense, I slipped back into present on many occasions. That's a sign.
And if nothing else, going through and changing tense multiple times means I will get to do a ton of line editing. Which is always useful!
I ran into the same thing, but fortunately really early on in my WiP. I think it really works for stories where a sense of urgency or 'nobody knows what's going to happen next' are what you're going for. It kind of keeps you right in the moment, you know what I mean?
Hi, new follower here. :) I've only ever written in past tense, but I can see how some books are just meant for present tense. Perhaps one of my future works will require the present.
I did the same thing. Only mine was 95,000 words. Sometimes the tense really becomes part of the story. This just sounded better in present. But now I'm taking a break and starting a new WIP with an omniscient narrator because I was so sick of not being able to write about what was happening off stage. :)
I'm definitely a present tense girl. Oh, and I've been through the whole manuscript-tense-conversion thing a few times now. I feel your pain. :)
I've always written in past, but in my NaNoWriMo draft it was just present. I didn't even think about it...it just WAS. So weird.
Talk of omniscient narrators makes me want to write something in third-person! (And have it stay in third-person; I've been down the change-third-to-first road before.)
I think it totally depends on the book. My WIP is in present tense and it works because the urgency is important to the story. But I think I want to write in past tense next. I like how in past tense, the character can hint at things to come, or reflect on things in the past as they're described. That's not as possible with present tense!
In terms of reading through, I don't have a preference. Good luck with the switch!
I think present tense is limiting for the author and reader, and should only be used when it truly serves the story (e.g. "The Hunger Games" when 1st person past tense would give away the ending). Thanks for the links to those articles; I was surprised that editors and agents aren't talking more about it because I think we writers sure are! Good luck with the change-over; I've gone 1st to 3rd but not past to present. Must be challenging.
I'm starting to enjoy reading present tense more (unrelated to writing in it). I agree, it has to serve the story. Hopefully, in my WIP it does.
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