This post is probably going to have a little frustration and anger, but it isn’t directed at anyone in particular. Since my book debuted, I’ve had a few people bring up the fact that I use present tense instead of past tense. My reason is that I feel more comfortable writing in present tense and my attempts to write in past tense usually include slipping back into present tense. As far as the writing/reading community is concerned, I’m wrong and two out of my four reviews point out the ‘difficult’ style.
Is it really difficult? It’s simply not the cookie cutter tense that EVERYONE believes should be used. I’ve read books in past tense that sucked and present tense that were great, so the tense shouldn’t make or break a book. I’m just annoyed that I seem to be penalized in a way for this. You can say that I could go back to change the tense on the books. Yet, I can tell you now that I wouldn’t be happy and you’ll hear a lot of griping about me writing in a style that feels unnatural to me. Nobody likes a person who hates his or her own work. That wouldn’t be petty on my part because I’d be the one feeling like he was forced to give up something for people who refuse to adapt. Again, a little rage here, but I don’t see why this is impossible. The tense shouldn’t take away from the story and the characters. You’re just viewing it from a different perspective than you’re used to, which is a lot easier to get used to than fighting an instinct to write in that perspective.
Here’s where my rage has been riled up. There is a surge of present tense books like Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. This in turn has created a rather venomous backlash toward present tense. I went hunting to find out why present tense was so taboo and I found such harsh things said about it. It’s a lazy style, it’s an immature style, it’s due to everyone wanting their books to be movies, and that’s the clean stuff said. My favorite is the ‘it works if done correctly’, which can be said for past tense too. Anything works if done correctly, which is a ridiculous phrase to use here.
The truth is that we’ve been trained since childhood to read in past tense. The writers of old used this tense as the norm for some reason, but they could have just as easily made present tense the norm. Why did they do this? I have no idea, but it doesn’t make one tense right and one tense wrong. It’s just that one is mainstream and embedded in our minds while the other is a blast of ice water in our face. It requires a different focus and an acceptance of change to read in present tense, which seems to be a much harder skill than writing in present tense.
Again, more rage and frustration than I would have liked this early in the day, but seeing the hate out there just irks me. It makes me feel like I’m already behind the 8-ball here and I have an army of people surrounding me with pitchforks. I write in the style that I feel is best for my story. To do otherwise would make me a sell-out and I don’t think I’d be in this for very long if I did that. I fall into self-loathing too easily to change my style because I make people uncomfortable.
It’s funny too because I’ve had people say they were drawn into my books and they read like movies. Are these people not big readers and they haven’t been fully turned to past tense? How is it that some people act like present tense is an insult to their senses while others think it’s a refreshing change or don’t even notice it?
Legends of Windemere 
I hope you don’t get too worked up over this. Praise and adoration is lovely, as is money, if that’s what we we’re seeking.
Doesn’t this really come down to why we write? (Not to suggest that everything we write comes from the same place or is for the same purpose.)
Write in whatever tense works to get the story out of you. Write for yourself! Then, if you want to re-write or revise it for others, strike a reasonable balance between your style and their expectations. Determining that balance may need to involve considering how much effort you think readers will be willing to put into reading the story.
Or not.
You’ve published a book for crying out loud, and you did it on your own! Don’t get hung up on this. Keep writing! Think about this when you’re finished with the next one, when you’re not so tense. 😉
LikeLike
I know. It’s just the sheer disdain and venom aimed at present tense was unexpected. It makes me feel like I’m under attack whenever it gets brought up. I write to tell a story that I’m excited and passionate about. The problem I’m having is that expectations are that it’s past tense, which means a total rewrite and no real balance between what I want and what is being requested. I simply don’t get the issue here, which it feels like I’ve been penalized for.
I could go the route of writing past tense against my own desires, but what happens after that? I don’t want to get stuck in a style that isn’t natural to me. I did that once before and it made me miserable. I do plan on sticking to my present tense because it’s the most comfortable and I feel it works best for my stories. I just wish people weren’t so hung up on this past vs. present tense and just enjoyed the stories and characters.
LikeLike
I admit, I tend to find present tense trickier than past. But in the end if the story and writing are engaging I’ll forget the tense and just enjoy the ride.
LikeLike
You bring up a good point. If a person keeps reading and the story is engaging, the tense just fades into the background.
LikeLike
I’m sorry you’re having a rough morning. You’re right the tense shouldn’t matter but we can’t make everyone happy. I’m sure if you did it in past tense there would have been someone complaining that it wasn’t in present tense. I can’t remember where I read this but it was said that writing is constant, flowing and growing. It won’t stay in the same shape and form forever, it will constantly grow to be more. Like you said above, if a person keeps reading the tense won’t matter because you’re already sucked into the story. I agree completely.
LikeLike
I like that statement about writing constant, flowing, and growing. It’s very true. Just look at how people are publishing now. Everything changes.
LikeLike
I like the immediacy of present tense. But I have a hard time writing on present tense. I agree though. Write the story in the POV and tense that is natural to the author. Rough week for you. Hope your CD burning goes well. That is a bunch of CDs. Great idea, though.
LikeLike
Thanks. I’ve got 40 left. Toddler tantrum has caused a delay, but I’m back on it.
LikeLike
Haters gonna hate. Chin up buttercup. Past-tense, present-tense, who cares? You write as yourself in the best way you know how – if people accept it? Great. If not, there will always, ALWAYS be someone who has to nitpick.
LikeLike
i agree with fairytaleepidemic. Do what you do to make your writing work for you.
LikeLike
Thanks. That’s definitely the plan.
LikeLike
True. Also, thanks for using the term buttercup. Not sure why, but that phrase always makes me laugh.
LikeLike
I agree. You should be able to write in whatever tense you want. One tense being more childish than the other is just stupid. It’s true that traditionally fantasy books are written in past tense, but … who cares? Do what you want. It’s your book!
Minor point: “Here’s where my rage has been riled up. There is a surge of present tense books like Hunger Games and Game of Thrones.” — Game of Thrones is actually written in past tense, not present. 🙂
LikeLike
Really? I have the first book and I saw present tense in there. I haven’t read it in a while, so I checked and that’s what I saw. My friend who worships the series said it’s in present tense. I’m going to have to check that again when I have the time.
LikeLike
Hmm … maybe in the prologue it’s present tense? As luck would have it, my brother currently as all my Game of Thrones books, so I can’t check. However, I know George RR Martin posts sample chapters on his website … hang on … here we go. This is a sample from the upcoming book in the series: http://georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html. Past tense! 😀
LikeLike
Checked again and you’re right. This means two things:
1. My friend lied to make me feel better.
2. I have absolutely no tense sense when reading a book. It could have been written in past or present tense and I wouldn’t have known the difference. Not sure what that says about me.
LikeLike
Hahahahaha. It means you care about the story, rather than what tense the book is written in — which, let’s face it, doesn’t really matter very much at all 🙂
LikeLike
True. I’ve been doing very little reading over the last few months because I keep fearing that I’ll try to copy the style of others. I really need to finish reading Ranger’s Apprentice when I get a chance. Maybe I’ll celebrate finishing the book 4 edits by getting through another of those books.
LikeLike
Again my lack of staying awake in English class is revealed. What is the difference between present and past tense, and how do you tell? Is it wrong that as much as I have written and the 1,000’s of books I have read, I don’t know the difference?
Also why does it matter? Is it simply literary snobbery? Or is there an actual reason for one being better?
LikeLike
To answer your question as simply as I can past tense uses ‘was’ and present tense uses ‘is’. Truthfully, I barely notice the difference when I’m reading a book with a unique tense. I think it does come down to some snobbery with a vocal minority being angry about the shift. Even though it really isn’t a shift because most books are still written in past tense. It’s really bizarre.
LikeLike
Just ignore them; if they’re put off by something as simple as the tense you write in, they probably shouldn’t be reading at all. 😛
The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones are a couple of my all time favourite books and I didn’t even notice they were writing in the present tense! So long as it’s an intriguing storyline, the tense or point of view won’t bother me in the slightest.
Hope you don’t take the reviews too much to heart – your sale numbers and position in the Amazon charts of your category are on the rise, so there must be quite a large fan base for Legends of Windemere. Besides, most people only ever write Amazon reviews when they’re really annoyed about the product they received, so think of all the other people who read your novel and thought there was no reason to complain! 🙂
LikeLike
I was corrected on Game of Thrones. I was told by a friend that it was and I saw parts of it that were present tense. To be honest, I never notice tense and read at the same pace for either one.
Good point. I never thought about what could drive a person to post a review. I think I’m going to let them roll off my back from now on.
LikeLike
I find present tense uncomfortable to read or write, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. And I usually get over my discomfort as I get further into the story.
I think it’s the whole “willing suspension of disbelief” thing for me; I keep getting distracted because I wonder who’s writing it down if it’s happenong right now.
LikeLike
I never really wonder about the narrator. I’ve read several stories in past tense where I couldn’t pinpoint the narrator, but it seems to be a major issue for present tense. I never understood how a reader can be unable to suspend disbelief simply because the events are happening in ‘real time’. Is it really easier to believe something that already happened instead of watching something happen?
LikeLike