Most stories are best written in past tense. Paradoxically, with past tense, readers have a present sense of what has happened and comfortably move forward with what happens next.
In The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks used past tense for his entire novel until the concluding nursing home section, which was skillfully written in present tense. In his recent Jevin Banks novels, Steven James uses present tense for scenes written in the main character’s point of view and past tense for all other scenes. A few bestselling authors have written entire novels in present tense, but that doesn’t mean we should.
Present tense has a suspended feeling. Everything happening “in the now” deprives readers of the sense that one action is complete so they can move on to the next. Since it is so difficult to write well, beginning writers make a bad mistake if they think writing in present tense will make them look like a bestselling author. We’re more likely to make fools of ourselves.
When Frank Ball wrote “The Lost Key” blog, he used past tense, which is his usual practice.
A friend agreed to sell me his custom van for what he could get on trade-in, which wasn’t much for a three-year-old vehicle, even though it had only 9,000 miles. The interior smelled new. After completing the transaction, I got the key. That’s right, just one key. Read More…
Here’s what it would look like in present tense:
A friend agrees to sell me his custom van for what he can get on trade-in, which isn’t much for a three-year-old vehicle, even though it has only 9,000 miles. The interior smells new. I complete the transaction and get the key. That’s right, just one key.
When he wrote “Driving Blind,” he used present tense.
On a mid-July late afternoon, I am driving my family to Dallas on I-30 when we hit an isolated shower. A mist steams up from the pavement, creating a cloud of water droplets. The sun behind us projects a rainbow around the car. We’re flying down the road, driving through a complete circle of iridescent bands of color. Read More…
Unless you have a very good reason to use present tense in your writing, stick with past tense.
