It is very hard for me to write in past tense. I am not sure why this is or what to do about it. Every time I start a story in past tense, I seem to switch over to present without even noticing it at first. I don't want all my stories to be in present tense, but it is what feels the most natural. Have any of you faced this problem or maybe even the reverse? What did you do about it? And how can you tell if a story is best told in past or present?
problem writing in past tense
- Thread starter gettingby
- Start date
- Status
Sounds like you read a lot of present tense.
For my writing, no. For examples in present tense or something not to my writing, yeah.
Edit.
Tenses are interchangeable. Any story can be told in either for the same affect. Though, sometimes, it's hard to convey backstory in present tense for the reader to understand. Using present perfect can be confusing if the reader isn't experienced with it.
Question: Are you, perhaps, writing in 1st person?
I've seen difficulties with people forming thoughts in first person past tense, as they want to keep "I" and present tense active in the narrative.
What Will said.
I write in past tense. It's what I like, what I read and what feels more comfortable. But once upon a time, I tried to write a story that seemed to be a "present tense" kind of story. Yeah, I tried. Next day I decided to go back to past tense. Why? Well. Nothing against present tense, not at all. I could have kept on writing it all the way 'til the end. But it just wasn't for me. You know? Writing in present tense kind of distancied me from the piece, and I decided I'd stick to past from then on. Plus, writing in past makes my words flow, whereas present tense requires a little bit more of me. It slows me down, somehow.
ETA: to me, the story itself is the one that calls the shots here. As I said before, that
one story first presented itself to me as a "Present tense" story. Then I said thanks, but no, thanks.
Last edited:
I've faced that problem, yes. I tend to think in first person, present tense, so most of my stories are written in first, present. When writing in past tense, I do sometimes slip into present. It's something I have to go back through and correct in edits.
What do I do about it? I practice. I deliberately change up POVs/tenses in short stories and prompt responses, for example. And if I really think something needs to be in past tense, I trudge on until the end.
I'm actually currently writing a novel in third person, past tense. It's killing me, but it fits the story better to have a narrative voice, as opposed to the entire story being in the MC's voice. I tried it in first person, present tense, and it just didn't seem to fit the setting and mood for this particular book.
Good luck!
Present tense is what I use instinctively. My current collection of short fiction has a couple of stories in present tense, but the rest are in past.
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2011
- Messages
- 452
- Reaction score
- 68
I've written in present tense. I've written in past. It takes a concerted effort when starting something new, to write in a different tense than what I last wrote. I have to keep on my toes, keep a watchful eye, until I fall into what tense I've decided from the outset. It's not that hard.
I only use past tense, though I've included present tense exercises in writing classes I've taught. Outside of class exercises - and I haven't taught one in a few years - I never read present tense material.
That's how it is for me. I write in both, and I do find that switching can be difficult at first. But I get into the swing of it eventually, and I think at this point I've written enough in both tenses that it's getting easier to switch.
I myself have struggled with this at times. I usually just write it and try to change it when editing. Often I get "on a roll" with writing and it slows me down to over think. It is often easy enough to edit it to the way I want it when I am finished getting my ideas out.
Write the first draft however you like. It's extremely easy to switch present to past after the draft is finished.
I hate all present tense, so I'm biased, but for good reason I think. Anyway, I do not for a second believe all stories work equally well in either.
I hate all present tense, so I'm biased, but for good reason I think. Anyway, I do not for a second believe all stories work equally well in either.
Present Tense Blues
Present tense is alluring for its immediacy. When you are doing a first draft it's easier to be in on the action. I look on present tense as a kind of telephoto lens: it brings everything up close but you sacrifice any kind of depth. I tend to write in the past tense for depth but some first draft action sceens in present and then convert them later. So my two pieces of advice are: 1) don't get too hung up on tense in a first draft and 2) pay attention to where you the author are in the story for that's where the depth usually will be.
Present tense is alluring for its immediacy. When you are doing a first draft it's easier to be in on the action. I look on present tense as a kind of telephoto lens: it brings everything up close but you sacrifice any kind of depth. I tend to write in the past tense for depth but some first draft action sceens in present and then convert them later. So my two pieces of advice are: 1) don't get too hung up on tense in a first draft and 2) pay attention to where you the author are in the story for that's where the depth usually will be.
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2013
- Messages
- 73
- Reaction score
- 13
- Location
- Nashville, TN
- Website
- www.gettotheinside.blogspot.com
I also tend to write in present, but I can write in past if I maintain the attitude that I'm telling the story after the fact. I think one way to determine what tense to use is to look at the flow of the story. If the events are proceeding in a linear fashion, present tense may work. If you're switching from past events to present telling, etc., (or maybe the tension of your story would work better to tell it this way), you may want to look at changing the tense overall.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2010
- Messages
- 5,116
- Reaction score
- 528
Well, past tense is more common than present, so I wonder what you are reading. I read a lot, in a lot of genres and I haven't read a present tense novel in a few years. I don't avoid them, just haven't read any lately.
Do you actively seek out novels written in present? Maybe that's why it feels so good to write; it seems natural, normal, customary.
But if you picked up six random best-sellers, spread over six different genres, I'd bet they'd all be written in past.
Do you actively seek out novels written in present? Maybe that's why it feels so good to write; it seems natural, normal, customary.
But if you picked up six random best-sellers, spread over six different genres, I'd bet they'd all be written in past.
Present tense is becoming more and more popular in YA and children's books. I mostly read (and write) kidlit and YA, so my experience with present tense is rather different than yours.
Exactly. It depends on the genre you work at. Smish and I are both YA warriors, so we're both very familiar with present tense (and 1st person). If you read more adult, past tense is more popular. And present tense always seemed weird to me when it suddenly kicked off big time when I was about 13 and I didn't think I could ever adjust. Now I find myself slipping into present all the time.
The best advice I can give is read past tense. Read exclusively past tense until you get used to it. It's a skill (just as present is).
I used to have the same problem. Only present tense felt natural for a while. That was more when I first started seriously writing. I didn't want to be stuck in one tense for my career. What worked for me was an exercise I learned in college. Write a short scene in your comfort zone tense and POV. Then rewrite that scene with a new tense. New POV. Rinse and repeat. Not only does the exercise challenge you to write outside of your comfort zone, but you can see the strengths and weaknesses with each style when they are juxtaposed! I feel that different styles/combinations highlight different things, and you may want different effects from your language depending on what you are writing. (use the word different a million times, why don't ya?)
As always, it's a subjective thing. To me, present tense conveys immediacy, as if you're standing next to the narrator. Past tense puts the events at a slight remove.
The choice of tense, then, depends on the type of story I'm writing. If there's a lot of movement and emotion, or if I want the reader to get the sensation of being at the narrator's elbow (as in a horror story), I'll go with present. If I want the reader to do some thinking between the high points, I'll go with past.
If you find yourself writing in present tense, go with it. Your subconscious may be trying to tell you something.
The choice of tense, then, depends on the type of story I'm writing. If there's a lot of movement and emotion, or if I want the reader to get the sensation of being at the narrator's elbow (as in a horror story), I'll go with present. If I want the reader to do some thinking between the high points, I'll go with past.
If you find yourself writing in present tense, go with it. Your subconscious may be trying to tell you something.
Past tense has always felt the most natural to me, I think because it's the way I talk to people when I'm telling them a story about my day (I went to the gas station, and while I was waiting for the pump to finish, Big Foot walked by and scared the other patrons). It's very rare that you would use present tense in a conversation about your day (I go to the gas station, and while I wait for the pump to finish, Big Foot walks by and scares the other patrons). So I guess my advice would be to imagine you're narrating your day to someone, and you might find it easier to stick in past tense.
(And hey...maybe I have the idea for my next story. Big Foot + gas station FTW! :O) )
As for the best way to tell a story - that's subjective. I don't like present tense, but it works for a lot of readers and writers. Go with what feels most natural for your story.
(And hey...maybe I have the idea for my next story. Big Foot + gas station FTW! :O) )
As for the best way to tell a story - that's subjective. I don't like present tense, but it works for a lot of readers and writers. Go with what feels most natural for your story.
I'm pretty pragmatic about this now — I tell present-time scenes in present tense, and past-time (flashbacks, etc.) in past tense. Since I tend to tell stories nonlinearly, most have a mix of both tenses.
I find it very difficult to read let alone write in present tense, purely personal preference I guess since I never read any when I was learning to read / in my young teens, so when I was first confronted with it in high school I found the experience incredibly jarring. I don't like it, and it has stopped me from reading some books I'm sure I would have otherwise liked and I don't like writing in it much either, though I do slip into it occasionally (purely sentence based, since I write first person as well and sometimes thoughts / reactions really don't sound as good in past tense). At the same time, it isn't really a problem as such - no one is forcing me to read or write in present tense, it doesn't really limit me as an author since theoretically tense doesn't affect the story being told. It only becomes a problem if you think it is; why do you want to write in past if you're more comfortable in present?
gettingby, do you speak only in present tense when you're talking to your friends? Do you say:
"I was at the store yesterday when this jerk bumps into me because he's not looking where he's going, then he calls me an idiot."
Or do you speak in past tense?
"I was at the store yesterday when this jerk bumped into me because he wasn't looking where he was going, then he called me an idiot."
If you're a present-tense talker, then writing in present would be natural for you. But if you're a past-tense talker, then writing in past shouldn't be difficult.
"I was at the store yesterday when this jerk bumps into me because he's not looking where he's going, then he calls me an idiot."
Or do you speak in past tense?
"I was at the store yesterday when this jerk bumped into me because he wasn't looking where he was going, then he called me an idiot."
If you're a present-tense talker, then writing in present would be natural for you. But if you're a past-tense talker, then writing in past shouldn't be difficult.
My big problem with present tense is that it is not immediate in any sense that works. I KNOW the story is not happening as I read it, I've yet to meet anyone who talks in present tense, or who tells a story in present tense, more than a tiny percentage of the time, and very darned few writers can pull it off.
I also read a LOT of MG, and quite a bit of YA, and the majority of it is also in past tense.
I think what has happen is that couple of incredibly talente dwriters managed to write bestsellers in present tense, and so every writer out there wants to do the same. No matter how good present tense may be, I've yet to read a novel length story in present tense that wouldn't have been better, and a lot easier to write, in past tense.
From what I've seen in the slush pile, new writers have an even tougher time with present tense than with first person itself, and that's saying something.
I also read a LOT of MG, and quite a bit of YA, and the majority of it is also in past tense.
I think what has happen is that couple of incredibly talente dwriters managed to write bestsellers in present tense, and so every writer out there wants to do the same. No matter how good present tense may be, I've yet to read a novel length story in present tense that wouldn't have been better, and a lot easier to write, in past tense.
From what I've seen in the slush pile, new writers have an even tougher time with present tense than with first person itself, and that's saying something.
I've had a lot of problems with switching tenses recently as for some reason I've begun to default to present without even realizing it. I think being aware of the problem is definitely the best thing to stop it, as well as good editing (and if you have someone else editing for you, make sure they keep a particular eye out for it as well).
I jump tenses in my rough drafts a lot. My husband is my beta reader and he has a keen eye for this, and points it out to me by highlighting when I've switched tenses randomly.
This happens when I'm plotting and writing at the same time. The events are happening in the moment in my minds eye, even though I want my story to depict something that has already occurred. I just go back and edit the tenses so that it reads all consistently.
This happens when I'm plotting and writing at the same time. The events are happening in the moment in my minds eye, even though I want my story to depict something that has already occurred. I just go back and edit the tenses so that it reads all consistently.
- Status