Young Writers Society

I'm sure a topic similar to this must have been created before, but i can't find it.

So what tense do you prefer to write in, past or present? Maybe even future, if you could find a way for that to work.

I have a lot of trouble with tenses. They really throw me off a lot and i always end up getting really frustrated.

What's your favourite tense and whitch one do you find easiest?

past tense, all the way. when in first person, it's okay for the narrator to give comments in present tense(for example: I think Bob was trying to say ..., as opposed to: i thought Bob was trying to say ... ), but when actually telling the story, i prefer past tense. i've never read anything in future tense(but now the prospect intrigues me). i have read present tense though, and it annoys me immensly. it might be that i'm just too used to past tense, or it might be that the author didn't make it work as well as she could. even reading narnia annoyed me a little(Lewis gives occasional comments in first person throughout the series).

I like present for short things and past for long things.

Present can get really tedious for both the reader and the writer because it's difficult not to go into a lot of detail... for example, it's kind of strange to say "Five days have passed since that last incident and we are now back at our hotel" or whatever... you can do it, but it's hard to stop and start again in the present tense. That said, I like the present because it gives a feeling of unsureness--when it's in the first person--because you don't know if the narrator will survive to tell the tale or not.

Past can get bothersome for short, descriptive pieces--especially when you're describing one distinct moment--because it can start to sound like a text book ("this looked like that, that sounded like this...") unless your careful. Past is good for longer pieces... especially if there are breaks in time.

~Azila~

I tried to write a book in the present tense once with a first-person viewpoint; it was the most difficult thing I've ever tried. I abandoned the idea after that. It's a challenge, and if you like challenges, then try doing the present tense. But I find it easier to work with the past. It makes telling the story a bit easier.

Of course, I'll probably try once again to write present-tense in the future...

So far, I've never written a novel length book, so I'm not sure about what Azila said. However, with my short stories, I always start with past. Usually they stay that way, but sometimes it just feels like it needs to be in present tense.

It's very annoying going through a thousand-something word story, changing tenses. O.o

~JFW1415

Past Tense all the way! Occasionally I find myself writing in the present tense, for a change. But otherwise I am most comfortable with the past tense.

I've always written in present tense, so for me it's the only thing i know. That being said, i've never finished any of my stories so maybe i should try past tense ;X?

Well, if you're asking which one I prefer to write in, I'd have to say past tense, simply because I'm more used to it and it comes more naturally to me. I've only read a few stories set in present tense, so my first instinct is always to go with past.

However, my current novel is totally present tense, and I've gotten used to doing it that way. My reason for using present tense there is the same reason that Azila gives-- my story is in first person, so if it was in past tense, the reader would already know that my viewpoint character survives, which in my case, kind of kills the drama.

It is getting kind of weird though, because my current storyline makes change in viewpoint absolutely necessary-- the story isn't always all about the MC, nor is it always set where the MC happens to be. Third person present tense sounds... a little funny, especially when you get around to describing thoughts and feelings... There's a constant feeling of, "Well, how does the narrator know that Joe Shmoe feels a stirring of apprehension in the pit of his stomach?" But it's gonna have to be that way, so I'm getting used to it. XD

So anyway, past is more automatic for me, but I'm used to present by now as well.