Narrative in Present Tense

[comegently]

With my most recent story, Part 01 and Part 02, I have written in the first person and the present tense.
I had noticed that many dramatic narratives in reconstructions of disasters, and crime programs, were narrated like that.
It adds an immediacy to the narrative I think.
I had not done this previously and was not sure how it would be received, but for whatever reason, the rating for my latest story is beating the ratings for my previous efforts.
Interesting, and something I will continue I think.

 

[AlinaX]

Sometimes it works well. If not done well, readers often dislike it.

 

[AwkwardMD]

Here is something I wrote up on the subject recently, with the context being that "I think most stories aren't built for present tense and here's why."

 

[SimonDoom]

Present tense is fine, as long as you do it right. Too often, authors decide to write a story in present tense, but then they switch back to past tense because it's more familiar, OR they don't know how to use the appropriate past and perfect tenses in conjunction with present tense.

 

[mrs_mackenzie]

Combined with first-person perspective it lends a kind of inner-monologue or 'you're in their shoes' type of narrative, which I think can work in a shorter erotic work, but I find it becomes grating after a while. Immediacy is great when things are breathless, but it's a burden when you want to slow things down again.

 

[mirafrida]

I've tended to be pretty averse to first-person present-tense as a general matter, but there are times when it makes sense to me. I had one time travel story that really seemed to call for it (if the character's actions rewrite the timeline, including their memories of it, then who from that disappeared future could possibly be narrating it?). I'm currently trying one where I want to trace the main character's changing state of mind without the retrospective analytical filter implicit in past tense.

So that my current $0.02: use it (with good execution of couse) if your story particulars give you a strong concrete reason to

 

[mildlyaroused]

I love the present tense. Some readers won't - I've heard from many who don't - but to me, that's no reason to stray away from using it. I also don't subscribe to the idea that present tense should be used only in specific stories or moments that call for it. When you write in present tense, you're not obligated to make things more immediate. That's just a construct we've built.

Far more important is everything other than your chosen tense: your style, word choice, imagery, pacing, rhythm. These things can make present tense feel introspective and past tense feel breathless. When you write, you have every word, every possible combination of syntax and grammar, at your disposal. Who cares what convention says about tenses and their various strengths and weaknesses?

Some people won't like it. You won't find people who skip a story because it's written in past tense, but you will find people who skip something in present tense. I've squabbled with publishers over my use of present tense. But in the end, as long as you accept that not everyone will like what you write (which is true no matter what tense you write in), then none of it really matters. Write in whatever tense gets you going.

 

[Plathfan]

I recall only one successful use of the present tense, and in hindsight, it worked despite the choice, not because of it.

On that note, my patience for first-person narration here is wearing thin. Too many impose themselves as narrators, unable to craft any voice but their own or see beyond their narrow perspective.

 

[Britva415]

With regard to this being "done well," part of doing it well means there's a good narrative reason for doing it. That is to say, a reason which comes from within the story and serves the story, not just a reason like "creating immediacy."

Speaking for myself, if a first-person-POV story doesn't answer for me the questions: Why am I hearing/reading this? Who am I to the narrator? If it wasn't for me, who was it for? In the story universe, how has it come about that they're telling me, or anyone at all, this story? then I'm unimpressed at best and irritated, disappointed or uninterested, at worst. This goes triple for one that's written in present tense.

 

[StillStunned]

My single 1P present story is my second-lowest rated, with only my 2P POV story scoring less. That said, with both of them I think the rating is brought down more by the subject matter than by the form.

 

[AlinaX]

I've written series here where one chapter might be first person past and the next first person present. Sometimes I'll start writing a story in one, then get stuck, and end up rewriting in the other.

 

[oneagainst]

I've written series here where one chapter might be first person past and the next first person present. Sometimes I'll start writing a story in one, then get stuck, and end up rewriting in the other.

And you then leave comments that told me in no uncertain terms about your feelings for 1P present tense

To the OP, 1PP rocks in certain situations. I opened The Light Between The Trees like this because it was the only way to capture the goddamn attitude of the FMC, the immediacy of the siege scene. It allows you to drop the reader directly into the middle of the meat grinder. And, because it's present tense, there's no 20/20 hindsight, no "What I learned", so it forces the reader to discover alongside the MC. If momentum is crucial then... accept no substitutes.

 

[AG31]

With regard to this being "done well," part of doing it well means there's a good narrative reason for doing it. That is to say, a reason which comes from within the story and serves the story, not just a reason like "creating immediacy."

Speaking for myself, if a first-person-POV story doesn't answer for me the questions: Why am I hearing/reading this? Who am I to the narrator? If it wasn't for me, who was it for? In the story universe, how has it come about that they're telling me, or anyone at all, this story? then I'm unimpressed at best and irritated, disappointed or uninterested, at worst. This goes triple for one that's written in present tense.

I think "creating immediacy" is a fine reason. First person/present doesn't guarantee the outcome, but if it works for the author it's worth a try.

 

[AG31]

I had occasion recently to simply recount some fantasies I'd had over my life. I wasn't writing a story. I paid no attention to language or mood or description. I just typed as fast as I could remember. It seemed natural to put it in first person present. But a day after posting it here in the forum, I deleted the text. I've been musing about why I felt this way. Goodness knows I haven't been shy about recounting real life events and thoughts here, not to forget other fantasies published as stories. Anyway, I think 1st person/present CAN (doesn't always) convey a sense of authenticity.

 

[AlinaX]

And you then leave comments that told me in no uncertain terms about your feelings for 1P present tense

Which was that?

 

[comegently]

When I write here, I imagine myself in the situation in real time, so the use of present tense can assist the realism of that to me. Whether it also improves the narrative is a different question.

 

[Britva415]

I think "creating immediacy" is a fine reason. First person/present doesn't guarantee the outcome, but if it works for the author it's worth a try.

Well, I was talking about being "done well."

Sure, "creating immediacy" is a fine reason to go present-tense, and sure, it's worth a try, and sure, it can succeed, I just don't think it usually does, and I'm talking about for me as a reader.

Unless we're talking about an exceptional author who really has the skill to make it work for readers and not just for themselves, when leaving out the other stuff I talked about. Creating immediacy isn't a bad reason, it just isn't enough if that's the only thing that's done. Immediacy without a proper frame isn't compelling. The frame is what makes it compelling.

And again, this is just me. I grant that I didn't express it in those terms, and might have sounded like I was proscribing some kind of rule for writers, I'm not, I'm really talking about what works for me.

I'm just one reader, but I am a reader. Authors who don't care what readers think and aren't invested in telling us a story are allowed to write for theirselves only. There are plenty of AH people who say that's just what they should do, and not spend half a second thinking about whether anyone else relates to it.

But OP seems interested in the thoughts of others, since they posted, though they didn't actually ask a question at all, but because of this, I don't believe that they're one of those authors, so, this is my feedback: Immediacy alone doesn't get the job done for me unless it's framed compellingly.

 

[AwkwardMD]

Present tense is a tool. No tool is the right tool for every job.

 

[AG31]

With my most recent story, Part 01 and Part 02, I have written in the first person and the present tense.
I had noticed that many dramatic narratives in reconstructions of disasters, and crime programs, were narrated like that.
It adds an immediacy to the narrative I think.
I had not done this previously and was not sure how it would be received, but for whatever reason, the rating for my latest story is beating the ratings for my previous efforts.
Interesting, and something I will continue I think.

Here's a thought. Maybe 1st person/present tense is most successful when there's no doubt in the author's mind that that's what it should be. Maybe that signals a voice in the author's head which they must express.

If there's a debate about it, maybe that signals a "made up" voice, which won't be so powerful.

I have no evidence for this. It just feels right. Do you remember whether your decision to write this way came automatically or after an internal debate?

 

[oneagainst]

Which was that?

Your beta read of A Place For Us All To Belong, the last para. And goddamn if you weren't spot on the money

 

[oneagainst]

Present tense is a tool. No tool is the right tool for every job.

Yes. You can't put a square peg into a round hole.

Oh wait. Lubricant.

 

[AwkwardMD]

Yes. You can't put a square peg into a round hole.

Oh wait. Lubricant.

 

[AG31]

With my most recent story, Part 01 and Part 02, I have written in the first person and the present tense.
I had noticed that many dramatic narratives in reconstructions of disasters, and crime programs, were narrated like that.
It adds an immediacy to the narrative I think.
I had not done this previously and was not sure how it would be received, but for whatever reason, the rating for my latest story is beating the ratings for my previous efforts.
Interesting, and something I will continue I think.

Had you written in 1st person past tense before?

I've come to the conclusion that whether one writes in first person or 3rd person depends on what you're doing with your story. Are you conveying a voice? Or are you describing things? I think an author should be doing very different things, depending on the voice.

As for 2nd person, I don't see the point, although I have enjoyed some 2nd person stories.

 

[CuttingEdge]

As for 2nd person, I don't see the point, although I have enjoyed some 2nd person stories.

I like second person point of view, but it is really hard to pull off for both the reader and the writer.

That is because it is so specific. Because the writer is writing specifically to the reader... "you rolled under the pressure of my hand" for instance... when the writer get the details right, and the reader is enraptured and caught up in the moment because they can envision whatever is being described as being done to them directly. That is immensely powerful.

But the opposite is also true. "I find that spot just above the small of your back that makes you almost instantly hitch your breath with want" as an example; would be powerful, but ONLY IF you had a particular erogenous zone on the small of your back. If the reader doesn't have that, then the reader withdraws from the story completely thinking, 'That is not me', with a huff and a snarl. That ruins the magic of second person point of view.

But even in those two points, second person point of view is even tougher to write than just that. If the writer does their story with only generalities and little detail and becomes a downright cheesy sounding story. But add details that the reader does not have, and they disengage from the story. But while rare... if the details of a second person point of story lines up well with the reader, then it is an immensely powerful story that first and third person point of view cannot even approach in terms of emotional impact.

But tough, tough, tough to pull off.

 

[StillStunned]

"you rolled under the pressure of my hand"

"I find that spot just above the small of your back that makes you almost instantly hitch your breath with want"

I'd argue that those examples are actually just 1P POV, addressing a second person. They're not narrated from the second person's perspective.