Art by Alison Hunt
(Been a while since I plugged my ‘how to write’ book. Enjoy a few teasers this month.)
Even though most books are written in past tense, new authors continue to wonder if that is the way to go. It is very easy to see why. Since we are raised reading past tense books almost entirely, that is what our brains believe is correct. Present tense comes off as clunky and ‘wrong’ to someone who has never read it before. It isn’t even a conscious thought by the reader. All they can tell is that it is really strange. Apparently, we are fine with hearing things in present tense, but reading/seeing them in such a state is off-putting. Not entirely though because you can expose yourself to both and never have any issues. I’ve found that people who read a lot of graphic novels and comics will take to my books without sensing that there is something different. Yup, I am a present tense author. Not only that, but a present tense third-person author, which means you get a variety of perspectives in real time. Present tense does lend itself better to first-person POV in some sense, but third-person can still create a great story. As one person put it when reviewing Beginning of a Hero, it was like reading a television show or movie in a good way.
Some people might be rolling their eyes what I just said. I have a brief story for you, which I believe shows how the mind works with past and present tense:
A friend of mine has been reading my stuff since high school. Back then, I jumped tenses in the middle of sentences until a teacher told me I had to choose one. I thought present tense was the smarter choice since I saw the events in my head. Didn’t realize it was uncommon until nearly 20 years later when I began publishing . . . Again, my friend has been reading my stuff for that long. His wife never did until she picked up my first book. They had very different opinions here. She found my work weird and difficult because something didn’t feel ‘right’. They realized it was the tense and his reasoning was ‘that’s just Charlie’. You see, he already had a lot of exposure to present tense through me and other series he found with that style. She did not, so it took her a little while to get her mind to adapt to the change in tradition. I feel that this shows how readers will be more comfortable with past tense, but it doesn’t mean using present tense is wrong or pointless to attempt. In fact, I think we are seeing more of the latter types of stories, so you will find more readers who can jump the mental tense tracks with ease.
I have a theory about why writing is more in past tense than present. Something I like to trot out to get other authors thinking about the origins of the trade:
Legends of Windemere 
Fun post! I tried writing a story in the present tense (just once!) and had a really hard time of it. But I know it’s becoming more common now. Maybe I should try it again. It is more immediate.
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I’ve heard it’s getting more common, but it’s a hard shift for people to make. I’ve been unwittingly doing it since high school, so it’s my norm.
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Present tense is challenging. I wrote one book in present tense so my hat is off to you for writing so many. I used present tense because I didn’t want to give away whether or not the narrator survived the journey, since the use of past tense is usually a dead giveaway.
I see a lot of present tense usage in young adult novels.
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Funny thing is that it’s easy because I’ve always been doing it. Once you get mentally used to the change, it’s fairly easy.
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Interesting challenge, Charles. As many writers will attest, writing in present tense has the potential to bring readers into the immediate, but the potholes are hard to steer around. Hit one, and it’s a jar to the audience. After three grade-school novellas in present tense, I’m happy with past tense. From now on, I’ll leave the present for the dialogue and inner thoughts.
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I never noticed a pothole issue. Though, I guess it catches people off-guard. We all grew up on past tense, which is what our kinds accept as ‘correct’. That’s mostly due to writing first being used to record history. Fiction followed suit and went past tense. So, it’s all about the reader’s subconscious tagging stuff as wrong when it’s actually right.
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My books are generally written in the first person present tense. I did relax later to third but kept the tense in the present. The key to first person present is to restrict the use of the pronoun I. Too much I and it is very off putting.
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I’ve heard that type of book is easier with present tense. People accept it more. Yet, it sounds hard to do that POV without I.
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It is for sure. I keep practicing on my Saturday posts.
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I want to add my two-cents for Do I Need to use a Dragon. I read it and really enjoyed it.
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Thanks. 😊
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You definitely are right that it’s a foundation of our reading education and the books we commonly read, that they should be in past tense. Even when you have first person or third person POV, it still is in past tense.
For me, as long as the author sticks with one approach, I can cope.
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Thanks. Consistency is definitely key. Just like baking. I might be hungry while typing this.
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