Young Writers Society

Okay, I need an answer to this question so I can continue on writing.

So I'm writing a novel in the past tense, but currently I am describing a statue in the main setting, and it will always be there. So do I describe it in the present tense or not?

Please help, I am confused with this.

Thank you.

-LifeUnknown

If the narrative is in past tense, then you describe the statue in past tense as well. Think of it as the narrator relaying what they saw (past) to you. Even if the statue will be there long after the narrator sees it, they won't be talking about the current state of the statue. Only what the statue was like when they saw it in the past.

Thank you! ^-^

When in doubt, listen to Kyllorac ^__^

However once you've got the hang of how things work then it becomes a stylistic preference. Personally I love novels that switch between past and future, because it's a great way of foreshadowing, and also indicating a passing of time.

I read in a lesser-known biography a phrase something along the lines of 'The ornament sits on my grandmothers fireplace, the years of neglect have taken their toll, but back then it used to shine so brightly.' That wasn't the exact phrasing, but I adore this kind of style because it creates a sense of both time and sentiment passing by.

Another example is 'A View From The Bridge' in which two men are standing on a stage and one says "This man's name was..." even though plays are generally experienced in present tense, the amount of foreshadowing in that one word changes the tone of the whole play.

That said, if you're not totally confident on using tenses and what techniques you want to apply in order to create what effect, then stick with Kyll's advice.

Thank you as well. I figured it out. ^-^

I was supposed to make another thread regarding this matter but then I saw that it had already. So do you mind if I post my question here?

Okay, so I'm trying hard to be good in what I'm doing—which is writing, obviously. But the thing is, English isn't my first language. I live in Italy and I'm hopelessly getting confused with verb tenses.

I know the basics: Present Tense and Past Tense. I also know how to use them. But what I don't know is that if it's okay to mix the two together in one piece of writing.

I'm in love with Meg Cabot's books. And she has a way of putting words together in a humorous manner. She uses past tense in her novels but when she describe something, she leaps into present tense. Like this for example:

"The flight sucked," I said. I knew that I hated flying and it made me sick—even though I admit that I love travelling.

Notice how the other phrase got into present tense? I'm a tad bit confused with this and I can't move on with my story!

The reason that sentence works is first person. She is describing herself in her current state, therefore, it makes sense to go to present tense because it's her. Not something I advise, personally, but because of the first person description she can pull it off.

In things like third person, you want to always keep the same tense. Mixing in past tense gets horribly confusing and looks like a mistake.

But in first person, grammar is a lot more flexible because of the character's voice. So long as it looks natural for how the character's speaking, you're fine.

The tricky part is not making it look like a mistake. You have to fit it naturally in a sentence, and some sort of break (the em-dash [—] in that sentence acts like a break) so you're not switching right in the middle of a sentence without warning.

Speaking of breaks, another time to mix past and present tense is through scenes. If you use scene breaks, you can mix past and present in first or third person. I have seen several stories where parts are written in present tense (usually those are set in present day), and parts are written in past tense (for being set in the past). These are usually split by changing scenes, with a scene break (** or ---) that let readers know something is drastically changing.