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Young Writers Society


past tense vs. present tense



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Sat Jun 12, 2010 1:32 pm
bluewaterlily says...



For some reason I write in present tense. It gives you a sense of being in the story right now, like cassie17 said. Though a writing book said that most people dislike present tense. Even though I write in present tense, it can feel strange reading a book in present tense. Any one second that notion? :?:
"A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language." - W.H. Auden
  





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Sat Jun 12, 2010 3:54 pm
Mochi says...



I personally hate present tense with a passion. I find that in English the verbs flow far better in past tense unless it's used in monologue. It just doesn't seem natural to write in present tense. The only time I will use present tense is either in second person or in French.
Last edited by Mochi on Sun Jun 13, 2010 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Vous trouvez l'océan trop clair, trop noir, trop bleu ;
Vous détestez le ciel parce qu'il montre Dieu ;
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Sat Jun 12, 2010 5:07 pm
Leja says...



I've written a lot of scripts lately, so present tense is becoming kind of automatic. I'm not so sure that I like that fact though, haha. For me, past tense will always be natural for prose. I think it makes the story just that much more complete.
  








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