In my case, it's the present tense far more than the first person, that causes an issue, and I wish people wouldn't link them as it's very possible to like or dislike one or the other in isolation.
Yes, I understand. In fact, it's why I wanted to be specific that it wasn't just present-tense, but also first-person, to show there were two variables I was facing as opposed to the more "traditional" past-tense third-person.
I find it jarring because I don't think present tense handles sequencing or the flow of action very well. Everything happens in the same instant, so it's like watching action under a strobe light.
Good point. One of the challenges I expect to face when I edit my novel to a present-tense version will manifest itself when the scene changes within a chapter (ie, leaves the house, takes the train downtown, walks through the neighborhood, reaches the next house). I don't intend to actually write what happens between house and train station, per se, but what he's doing at the house in Paragraph A, and then what he's doing at the train station in Paragraph B. It will create some of that strobe effect that you so aptly coined, but I think if I make my transitions solid and consistent, it won't be a distraction to the reader. I feel pretty confident in my ability to avoid the minutia of first person perspective. In fact, it's the vacillation between intricate detail of an action and near-obliviousness of other actions that add a layer of tension to my story.
Some writers praise it for its immediacy, but I find using present magnifies any issues with the prose, and I focus on those.
I really appreciate your feedback so far, but if I could maybe ask you to elaborate on the above quote portion a bit more. What do you think it is about present tense that magnifies the prose for you? What would be a hypothetical instance (or two) of this? If you want to make up a fake couple lines of story to illustrate your point, that would be especially helpful. Because I think it's this area where maybe I'm not seeing a potential obstacle I might face, and if I can be pre-warned to look out for it, I think my writing will be that much better.
And, yeah, the immediacy is an element that I'm expecting to enhance my story. I'm unsurprised to see that point getting brought up; it makes sense to me.
Good present tense - like good past tense - is invisible; the reader focuses on the story not the writing. However, in my experience it seems much easier to write bad present tense than bad past tense.
Present tense draws my attention to the writing and away from the story: and that's bad.
As a reader and a writer, I agree with you about the quality of present vs past tense. Obviously, it's a statistic that I feel compelled to overcome.
Again, thanks for your feedback and any more feedback you can provide. That point you reiterate at the end of your post is a reader reaction I am anxious to explore further.
Cheers.
