# Past or Present Tense?



## Joseph DiFrancesco (Aug 1, 2011)

I've read/written both.  Prefer past, but was curious about others...


----------



## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Present tense can be thrilling if properly done, but it often becomes stilted and pretentious of mishandled. It worked brilliantly in Boston Teran's God is a Bullet. I've written a long thriller that switched back and forth from present to past with different characters and events, and found that mix to be pretty effective at times. Overall, IMHO past tense tends to work best.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

**** friendly reminder:  authors, we're in the Book Corner so please refrain from mentioning your own books but, rather, address the question from the point of view of yourself as 'reader'.  You can, of course, address your own approach in the Writer's Cafe.  ****


----------



## rweinstein6 (Aug 2, 2011)

I prefer past tense, as present can get a little, I don't know, stilted at times? That's one reason why I've put off reading The Hunger Games, although I've heard it's really good. I did read one recently that did it pretty well. It was _Strange New Feet_ by indie author Shannon Esposito. It's a science thriller about a little girl who is...different. And that's all I'm saying without giving away any spoilers. It was a great read. I highly recommend it. The present tense gave it a feeling of immediacy, which was great for that tale.


----------



## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

Past tense, all the way. 

I think there is something bizarre about a book in the present tense, as though the story is taking place at the same time that it's being written, or read.


----------



## DD Graphix (Jul 15, 2011)

I dislike present tense so much that as a reader, if I start a book that is present tense I'm very likely to put it down. Can I quantify why I dislike it so much? Not really. It just reads very awkwardly to me and makes me uncomfortable.


----------



## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

While present tense can be intriguing, especially in first person stream of consciousness running for paragraphs or pages without end, I find it more often then not leads to a false sense of immediacy for author mediocrity.  Not that the present tense can't be used well: I remember once novel where a character's story was told in alternating chapters on different timelines and switched between past and present tense.  A clever tick.  But on the whole, I think the present tense should be avoided.


----------



## S Jaffe (Jul 3, 2011)

I hate present tense and don't read books written in it. It almost never works. In fact, only two times have I read present tense books, and both times it was so well done that I didn't realize I was reading present tense until well into the story. The first is Carrie Ryan's _The Forest of Hands and Teeth_. Absolutely wonderful novel. It probably could have been written in past tense, but she is so good at writing in present that it didn't matter. The second is Stephen King's _Dreamcatcher_ which is written in both tenses. The reason I liked it here is that it had a clear purpose. The novel follows this group of men who haven't been able to get over something that happened to them when they were boys. All the flashback chapters are written in present tense and it works wonderfully to drive home just how stuck in the past they are -- that the past is their present. Other than those two, however, I've never come across a present tense story I've enjoyed.


----------



## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

S Jaffe said:


> I've never come across a present tense story I've enjoyed.


Agreed. If I see a book that is in present tense, I just won't buy it.

Mike


----------



## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

I prefer past, but I also have read and written both.  My Sin-Eater series was originally intended to be a script for either a TV show or comic book and it was written first person. When I decided to make it a series of books, I just kept the present tense.


----------



## DD Graphix (Jul 15, 2011)

And no offense at all intended Balaspa, but I find first person present tense the most annoying of all. I actually like first person, but first person past tense.


----------



## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

I prefer to read past tense, but I would read a present-tense book if I thought it worked with the story. I enjoy many different styles of writing.


----------



## J.G. McKenney (Apr 16, 2011)

Prefer past. Some authors can do present well but it's limiting.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

**** friendly reminder:  authors, we're in the Book Corner so please refrain from mentioning your own books but, rather, address the question from the point of view of yourself as 'reader'.  You can, of course, address your own approach in the Writer's Cafe.  ****


----------



## hakimast (Jul 23, 2011)

Eh, I prefer something outside of a conventional timeline. Just makes things easier, and you don't have to actually learn anything, that's what non-fiction is for


----------



## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

In general, I prefer past tense. I don't mind present tense, but I feel it works better for short stories than novels. I think it's difficult for a story to sustain the inertia of present tense over a longer work, but some writers can pull it off.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

I think it's a bit unfair for someone to say that they've never read a good present tense book, or only a few, given that there just aren't very many out there. And most of them are literary. There are far more past-tense books that I dislike than present, just based on numbers.

Present tense is becoming more common, especially in YA fiction. Hunger Games being the most obvious example. I don't think young readers care one way or another. I think older readers mostly prefer past tense because it's what they're used to. Therefore, the present may pull them out of the story because they notice it. On the other hand, someone told me they couldn't stand present tense fiction, not half an hour after they had told me how wonderful The Hunger Games was. I pointed out the problem and they couldn't believe it was present tense. I had to load the book up to prove it to them.

Personally, I just like good stories. I don't care how they're written as long as the style suits the author and the subject and it all works. I do wish there were more present tense stories out there, since I enjoy reading a different style and like the immediacy. But there's just not much of it in the genres I read.


----------



## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> I think it's a bit unfair for someone to say that they've never read a good present tense book, or only a few, given that there just aren't very many out there. And most of them are literary. *There are far more past-tense books that I dislike than present, just based on numbers.*


But did you dislike them _because_ they were written in past tense? Probably not. Most likely, you disliked them for other reasons. If someone doesn't like the fundamental style of present tense, it's entirely fair to say so. Personally, I usually find that most present tense novels are trying too hard to be poetic and that annoys me.


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I cannot think of many present tense novels, but the few times I've run across them they always break that barrier between myself and the author, making me think, "Oh, s/he's writing in present tense, how weird." In other words, it draws my attention away from the story and instead to the technique, which is probably a bad thing 999 times out of 1000 (i.e., that extremely rare book where the author's technique itself is so marvelous that it is, in fact, a pleasure to pay attention to it instead of the story).

I almost quit reading Charles Stross's _Halting State_ for that reason, plus the fact that it was _also_ in 2nd person. I ended up overall enjoying the book, but even by the time I got to the end of it I was still being jerked away from the story at times by noticing the use of 2nd person present tense.


----------



## J. Gunnar Grey (Jun 20, 2011)

NogDog said:


> I cannot think of many present tense novels, but the few times I've run across them they always break that barrier between myself and the author, making me think, "Oh, s/he's writing in present tense, how weird." In other words, it draws my attention away from the story and instead to the technique, which is probably a bad thing 999 times out of 1000 (i.e., that extremely rare book where the author's technique itself is so marvelous that it is, in fact, a pleasure to pay attention to it instead of the story).


What NogDog said. Present tense draws my attention away from the story to the storytelling, which is never good. Granted, that's a personal thing and will vary from reader to reader.


----------



## EliRey (Sep 8, 2010)

I prefer past but have read some good books in present. It's very true though, if done well I've enjoyed very much, but I've read quite a few that were HORRIBLE. Reason why I prefer past I've read much less horrible books in past tense.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

history_lover said:


> But did you dislike them _because_ they were written in past tense? Probably not. Most likely, you disliked them for other reasons. If someone doesn't like the fundamental style of present tense, it's entirely fair to say so. Personally, I usually find that most present tense novels are trying too hard to be poetic and that annoys me.


True, it would be hard to distinguish past-tense being the problem specifically. However, I'm not a big fan of past-tense first-person unless it is specifically set up as a character telling a tale of his/her past. So that would count. Maybe.


----------



## John Dorian (Jul 23, 2011)

I like reading books. Being concerned about tense is too much work for me


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

John Dorian said:


> I like reading books. Being concerned about tense is too much work for me


I suspect that opinion likely represents the majority of readers.


----------



## Chris Turner (Jul 23, 2011)

I like the concept of experimental writing, but must admit I don't like present tense writing, which perhaps started off as being 'experimental'.  
Seems to me it became a fad, especially in short stories (fantasy/speculative).  My gut feeling is that most of the time it doesn't really enhance the reader experience; past tense could work easily as well.


----------



## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

As long as the story is engaging, I am happy. Past, present, 1st, 3rd person; I don't mind as long as I find the book a good read.


----------



## B Regan Asher (Jun 14, 2011)

I must agree with the majority opinion that I prefer past tense.  That being said, present tense won't deter me if the story intrigues me.


----------



## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

So many readers hate present tense, I'm surprised anyone uses it. I especially dislike it when flashbacks are written in the present tense when the present story is told in the past. Confusing. 
L.J.


----------



## S Jaffe (Jul 3, 2011)

Was thinking more on this last night.  Here's the main reason I think people in general dislike present tense -- it's not how we tell stories.  If you're hanging out with friends and one starts to tell you a story, it'll be told in past tense.  Try telling anybody a story in present tense and you'll hear (and feel) how jarring it is.  What writers do is called story-telling for a reason.

Some very talented few can pull off the present tense, but unless there's a clear, artistic purpose -- that doing so connects to the theme or plot or something --  then I ask why?  We don't tell stories that way.  It doesn't make sense.  So why cause the reader to jump an extra hoop in order to enjoy a story?


----------



## DD Graphix (Jul 15, 2011)

@S Jaffe, very good point. And I would think an author would really consider several times before deliberately writing in a way which is likely to alienate a good portion of his or her potential customers.

For me as a reader, it's all about the story. I think some authors get more into the art of writing and pushing the envelope, and forget that those of us who are purely readers simply want to be carried away by the story. Present tense jars me out of the story.


----------



## jackz4000 (May 15, 2011)

Few authors can use present effectively so they don't make the reader uncomfortable.  Present can add a certain immediacy and a characters POV.


----------



## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

jackz4000 said:


> Few authors can use present effectively so they don't make the reader uncomfortable. Present can add a certain immediacy and a characters POV.


I think _some_ authors have tried using it to artificially instill tension or excitement. A good story-teller telling a good story doesn't need that sort of crutch, and a poor story-teller telling a poor story just makes it more obvious when using it.

A great story-teller telling a great story can probably get away with it, though it's likely s/he would not, in fact, need to do it in the first place. 

Then there will be the amazingly talented writer who, for a particular story, will realize that using present tense is just the right thing to turn a very good story into a work of art for some reason that will be difficult to explain (and give literature grad students thesis material), much the same way that the greatest of music composers were usually the ones who broke the existing "rules" of their time: not just to break those rules, but because they simply had to in order to express themselves the way they wanted.


----------



## anguabell (Jan 9, 2011)

I too dislike present tense novels - with the exception of _Smilla's Sense of Snow_. Everything in that novel works just the way it is. So there are no "absolute rules" - just good books and the others.


----------



## BrianPBorcky (Aug 7, 2011)

I prefer past. Perhaps it's a hearkening back to the days before the written word, when stories were past down orally. I find it hard to believe our ancestors were saying "I'm chasing a wild boar through a thick section of brush, I throw my pointed stick at it and miss..." Then again, there's a chance that our oral languages weren't even developed enough to have things like tenses, so maybe I'm overthinking it.

That being said, good writing is good writing. In the right hands, future tense could work.

It'd just have to be exceptionally talented hands.


----------



## DD Graphix (Jul 15, 2011)

@Brian, I had a huge giggle thinking of the end of your ancestor's story, "and now I'm dead...."


----------



## emilyward (Mar 5, 2011)

I prefer past, but it doesn't really affect my decision on if I read a book or not. It just takes me longer to get used to present.


----------



## SidneyW (Aug 6, 2010)

I guess I first encountered present tense in short stories as a teen and didn't like it then. I find these days I'm more open to it and have enjoyed some books in present tense. I'm reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth now which is first-person, present-tense, and it seems to work.


----------



## ramsey_isler (Jul 11, 2011)

As both a writer and reader, I prefer past tense. Present just annoys me and sounds all sorts of wrong in my head. It also seems amateurish, as I've read plenty of fanfiction and high school writers who write in that style.


----------



## theraven (Dec 30, 2009)

I prefer past tense and usually can't get very far into a book written in present tense. There are about two that I have read through all the way and enjoyed but it's rare. Lately, if a book is written in present tense, I'll pass it up unless a friend recommends it that I give it a try.


----------



## Patrick Reinken (Aug 4, 2011)

David Alastair Hayden said:


> Personally, I just like good stories. I don't care how they're written as long as the style suits the author and the subject and it all works.


I agree with David.

Isn't the answer to the question really just, "It depends"...? I've read great present tense, great past tense, and bad in both.


----------



## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I can honestly say I never pay attention.  Either to tense or person.  When I start a book I either enjoy it or don't.  I don't analyse why.  If it's bad enough that I actually stop reading it's probably for problems way beyond tense or person.


----------



## youngadultfiction (Jul 28, 2011)

As long as the story makes me want to keep reading, then it doesn't matter. If you keep noticing problems with the tenses (or having trouble with them) then something has gone wrong somewhere!


----------



## DD Graphix (Jul 15, 2011)

However, given the general reaction to a lot of people on this thread, I think authors should be very, very careful about using present tense. Do you really want to alienate readers? Is your work so special it's worth the risk? One thing a good marketer learns is that it's not what he or she likes personally, it's what the audience likes. And part of writing IS marketing of course; otherwise you would write a book and never even try to sell it.


----------



## David Alastair Hayden (Mar 19, 2011)

Ann in Arlington said:


> I can honestly say I never pay attention. Either to tense or person. When I start a book I either enjoy it or don't. I don't analyse why. If it's bad enough that I actually stop reading it's probably for problems way beyond tense or person.


I think this holds true for most readers. In my own experience, people who are writers, professionally or otherwise, are much more sensitive to tense and person and are much more likely to be bothered by it. Most of the people responding to this thread are writers, probably because they care more about tense than your average reader (not that some readers don't care).


----------



## Guest (Aug 8, 2011)

Joseph Robert Lewis said:


> Past tense, all the way.
> 
> I think there is something bizarre about a book in the present tense, as though the story is taking place at the same time that it's being written, or read.


Very good observation! Unless you're writing "The Neverending Story."


----------



## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

As a reader, the use of the present tense in fiction generally drives me nuts (or to be more accurate, drives me away screaming). The word 'stilted' has been bandied about a lot, but it is also generally unnecessary and pretentious. As a writer, the _only_ time I ever employed the present tense was in a short story that would have made no sense if the past tense had been used instead.


----------



## VickiT (May 12, 2010)

Joseph DiFrancesco said:


> I've read/written both. Prefer past, but was curious about others...


I prefer past tense, but when present is done well, it's magic.

Cheers
Vicki


----------



## AnnetteL (Jul 14, 2010)

Past is definitely the standard in the sense of what readers are used to, but present tense is rather in vogue, it seems. (Thinking of the Hunger Games series, Matched by Allie Condie, and others.) 

When done well, it's really cool, but when it's not done well, it can be a major distraction.

I have a friend who swore she hated all present tense books. Someone pointed out that a favorite novel of hers was present tense, and she didn't believe them until she pulled it out and reread page one. Turns out that huh--it IS in present tense. But it was so well done that it wasn't distracting. (That book was Good Grief by Lolly Winston. Very good.)


----------



## Simon John Cox (Aug 15, 2011)

I like reading both past and present tense fiction, and I enjoy writing in both different styles.

One thing I like about the present tense is the feeling that even the characters don't know what's coming next - that you're experieincing it with them for the first time.



S Jaffe said:


> Here's the main reason I think people in general dislike present tense -- it's not how we tell stories. If you're hanging out with friends and one starts to tell you a story, it'll be told in past tense. Try telling anybody a story in present tense and you'll hear (and feel) how jarring it is.


I regularly hear people tell stories in the present tense. "So there I am, standing at the bar, and this guy walks up to me and says 'hey, buddy!' and then he shakes my hand, and I'm thinking 'I don't know who this guy is'"...etc. You must have heard that kind of thing. And it's the same for jokes - how many times have you heard "An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman are shipwrecked and end up on a desert island..."?

(The punchline to that one is "I'm all lonely now, so I wish they were back here with me", by the way. There's a magic lamp involved...it's all pretty standard stuff.)


----------



## RobynB (Jan 4, 2011)

It's all about story for me. In the right hands, anything can work.

I was e-chatting with a friend of mine who writes YA, and she was saying how the prevailing trend right now is first person, present tense. I wonder if that will influence a new generation of readers to prefer present tense? (Not that I buy the argument that most adult readers today don't like present tense...I'd need to see statistical proof/studies to believe that.)


----------



## mscottwriter (Nov 5, 2010)

The weirdest thing I ever read was Stuart O'Nan's "A Prayer for the Dying" which was written in second person, present tense.  ("You go to the store.  You buy a loaf of bread...")

I actually loved the book despite the fact that it read like a choose your own adventure.


----------

