# Fiction written in present tense



## Gushousekai195 (Jun 21, 2021)

How do you guys feel about fiction written in present tense instead of the usual past tense?


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## PC Master Race (Jun 21, 2021)

Easier for me to read, that's for sure
Maybe because my english sucks lol


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 21, 2021)

PC Master Race said:


> Easier for me to read, that's for sure
> Maybe because my english sucks lol


Hmmm... interesting.  I’ve been so used to reading fiction written in past tense.  It feels so natural.


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## PC Master Race (Jun 21, 2021)

Gushousekai195 said:


> Hmmm... interesting.  I’ve been so used to reading fiction written in past tense.  It feels so natural.


I do RPs and write my stuffs in present tense, it's simply easier for me to tell what's happening, what happened before, and what's gonna happen next.
The first time I read stories in english and saw that it's in past tense, I was like "wait, why this ?".
Because in vietnamese there's no past present future, all verbs stay the same.
Example :

_Hắn / bước / ra khỏi / quán rượu
He / steps (or) stepped / out of / the tavern

Ngày mai / tôi / đi nghỉ mát
Tomorrow / I  / (will) go on a vacation_


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 21, 2021)

PC Master Race said:


> I do RPs and write my stuffs in present tense, it's simply easier for me to tell what's happening, what happened before, and what's gonna happen next.
> The first time I read stories in english and saw that it's in past tense, I was like "wait, why this ?".
> Because in vietnamese there's no past present future, all verbs stay the same.
> Example :
> ...


I see


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 21, 2021)

I can understand reading an RP in present tense.

But when it’s a work of fiction, I must confess it feels sort of...  awkward.


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## PC Master Race (Jun 21, 2021)

To each their own I suppose.
I don't mind reading stuffs in past tense, though my brain might be mushed if it's too much. And if I were to write something, it's present tense through and through.


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 21, 2021)

Anybody else have any thoughts on this matter?


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## Jaredthefox92 (Jun 22, 2021)

If I'm writing the story I do a mixture of both, present tense when action happens, but to describe a scene I use past tense.


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## vickers (Jun 22, 2021)

I'm fine with both, but I prefer past tense honestly... I think that past tense gives the impression of something that already happened a while ago, so it makes it easier for me to get immersed in the story.
I used to write fiction on present tense all the time though, in my teenage days. I still do sometimes, and I think it works perfectly in the case of interactive fiction (like text based games)


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## TyraWadman (Jun 22, 2021)

If it's meant for a certain audience, sure, it can be great. Like self-insert stories and choose your own adventures... but if it's something about you/your own original creation, my brain is gonna shut off because most people will write present tense as if I'm supposed to know what everyone and everything is about when I obviously don't. Or they state feelings/ideas that don't line up with mine, so the immersion is ruined and I drop it. 

But that's just me!


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## Faustus (Jun 22, 2021)

I'm not generally a fan, but it can work under the right circumstances provided it's well-written, and it's in a suitable context, but I find it difficult to justify and can feel very awkward. The way I see it, past-tense stories give the impression of a written account of events. It doesn't concern us how the writer came into possession of the facts, the impression is enough. Present tense stories are things that are happening NOW, in the moment, as you read. For that to make sense, somebody must be the observer. Therefore, present tense makes most sense in first-person or second-person perspectives. Both limit your options somewhat; you can't realistically change the point-of-view to another character without creating confusion, although that certainly doesn't need to be a huge issue. H. G. Wells wrote many stories in first person and found ways around the problem, as did H. P. Lovecraft, though it's worth noting that both also wrote largely or exclusively in past tense.

I also agree with @TyraWadman with regards to immersion, especially when it comes to second-person perspective stories, but that can be partway alleviated by framing the story as a hypothetical situation. I recall a written short story based on a Twilight Zone episode that used this device to reasonable effect, but it's not the kind of thing you could do more than once or twice before it got old.

On the other hand, present tense is definitely better than future-imperfect tense. Imagine a story written like that!


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## Faustus (Jun 22, 2021)

vickers said:


> I used to write fiction on present tense all the time though, in my teenage days.


I get the feeling most people do start with present tense. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that the only way that the brain truly and naturally experiences the world is from a first-person perspective. We talk a big game about empathy and 'seeing the other person's point of view', but practically speaking we can never do that through any lens other than imagination.

Perhaps this is the reason why first-person writing can feel amateurish? Because we associate it with a childhood state wherein we only consider the evidence of our own senses as valid?


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## Yastreb (Jun 22, 2021)

I have read some good books written in 3rd person present tense. Sometimes I don't even notice it until halfway through. Maybe it makes the story feel more relaxed, like somebody is telling it personally to you. Not sure.

When I am writing I need to pay constant attention to which tense I use. If I try to write in present some past forms will inevitably slip in and vice versa.


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 22, 2021)

Faustus said:


> I'm not generally a fan, but it can work under the right circumstances provided it's well-written, and it's in a suitable context, but I find it difficult to justify and can feel very awkward. The way I see it, past-tense stories give the impression of a written account of events. It doesn't concern us how the writer came into possession of the facts, the impression is enough. Present tense stories are things that are happening NOW, in the moment, as you read. For that to make sense, somebody must be the observer. Therefore, present tense makes most sense in first-person or second-person perspectives. Both limit your options somewhat; you can't realistically change the point-of-view to another character without creating confusion, although that certainly doesn't need to be a huge issue. H. G. Wells wrote many stories in first person and found ways around the problem, as did H. P. Lovecraft, though it's worth noting that both also wrote largely or exclusively in past tense.
> 
> I also agree with @TyraWadman with regards to immersion, especially when it comes to second-person perspective stories, but that can be partway alleviated by framing the story as a hypothetical situation. I recall a written short story based on a Twilight Zone episode that used this device to reasonable effect, but it's not the kind of thing you could do more than once or twice before it got old.
> 
> On the other hand, present tense is definitely better than future-imperfect tense. Imagine a story written like that!


I've come across a writer who writes in present tense in 3rd person pov.


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## Faustus (Jun 23, 2021)

Gushousekai195 said:


> I've come across a writer who writes in present tense in 3rd person pov.


Out of curiosity, who was it?


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 23, 2021)

Faustus said:


> Out of curiosity, who was it?


https://bit.ly/2SpGbaK


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## Kumali (Jun 23, 2021)

Tom Robbins's novel _Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas_ (which I recommend, along with all his other books) is written in second person, present tense. Interesting effect. Not every writer could pull it off, but he can.


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## reptile logic (Jun 23, 2021)

When I'm deep into first-draft writing mode, I often find myself writing in the present tense. That is how my mind experiences the story in my head. By the time I have gone through the draft a time or two, I change it to past tense.

Unless I'm writing the story in the first or second person; writing in the present tense feels awkward to me.


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## reptile logic (Jun 24, 2021)

PC Master Race said:


> I do RPs and write my stuffs in present tense, it's simply easier for me to tell what's happening, what happened before, and what's gonna happen next.
> The first time I read stories in english and saw that it's in past tense, I was like "wait, why this ?".
> Because in vietnamese there's no past present future, all verbs stay the same.
> Example :
> ...


Yes. When I used to write RPGs, it was always in the present tense. Even in English, it makes perfect sense to do so.

I have had that explained to me before. Thanks for the reminder. I am fairly certain that other languages share that style as well.

Even if one has been immersed in the language since birth, English can be very confusing. When writing, I still stumble over subtleties like "comma ( , ) versus semicolon ( ; )". To paraphrase a Ukrainian I once worked with, I am used to language with hard rules and few exceptions. English is nothing but soft rules with many exceptions.


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## Miles Marsalis (Jun 24, 2021)

I feel writing in the third-person and present is fine, but I don't have a problem with first-person and second-person stories written in the present tense either since those styles actually preserve the suspense and or uncertainty surrounding the narrator's fate. 

I do tend to write in the first-person and present-tense, however, so maybe I'm biased.


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## Kumali (Jun 24, 2021)

reptile logic said:


> Even if one has been immersed in the language since birth, English can be very confusing. When writing, I still stumble over subtleties like "comma ( , ) versus semicolon ( ; )". To paraphrase a Ukrainian I once worked with, I am used to language with hard rules and few exceptions. English is nothing but soft rules with many exceptions.



Indeed! As a native English speaker I don't know how in the hell anybody learns this language as a second or third language, especially as an adult. I have the greatest respect for anyone who does. (Not to mention a massive inferiority complex about it, having only seriously tried to learn one other language in my life and pretty much failed at it.)

Easiest way I keep track of the semicolon thing is that a semicolon is used to separate two parts of a sentence, either of which would be a complete, self-contained sentence (with a subject and a verb, at minimum) on its own. 

I can use a semicolon here; both parts of this sentence are complete sentences on their own.

I can't use a semicolon here, for the same reason.


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## PC Master Race (Jun 24, 2021)

Kumali said:


> Indeed! As a native English speaker I don't know how in the hell anybody learns this language as a second or third language, especially as an adult. I have the greatest respect for anyone who does. (Not to mention a massive inferiority complex about it, having only seriously tried to learn one other language in my life and pretty much failed at it.)


Don't mind me, just a vietnamese dude casually strollin' by


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## Kumali (Jun 24, 2021)

PC Master Race said:


> Don't mind me, just a vietnamese dude casually strollin' by



Et ton anglais est vraiment formidable. Bien fait.


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## Mambi (Jun 24, 2021)

Gushousekai195 said:


> How do you guys feel about fiction written in present tense instead of the usual past tense?



I find it usually more engrossing, because mentally you feel like it's happening *now* rather than already happened, making any scene feel more fresh and lively.

Simple example, a chase scene. If you're reading about it past-tense, you already know the outcome mostly...they're safe and escaped somehow. If you're reading it "live", then you feel anything could happen as the story's still unfolding in your mind, as opposed to after the fact.

It's like setting it in the past forces the reader to assume all's fine, safe, and we're just reviewing in a meeting or interrogation or something...LONG DISTANT from the events you're about to describe. Forces a disconnect between the event and the reader to me. Does that make any sense to anyone?


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## PC Master Race (Jun 24, 2021)

Kumali said:


> Et ton anglais est vraiment formidable. Bien fait.


I know a bit of french so this is "your english is very good, well done" ?
Because french was my nightmare at college


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 24, 2021)

Mambi said:


> I find it usually more engrossing, because mentally you feel like it's happening *now* rather than already happened, making any scene feel more fresh and lively.
> 
> Simple example, a chase scene. If you're reading about it past-tense, you already know the outcome mostly...they're safe and escaped somehow. If you're reading it "live", then you feel anything could happen as the story's still unfolding in your mind, as opposed to after the fact.
> 
> It's like setting it in the past forces the reader to assume all's fine, safe, and we're just reviewing in a meeting or interrogation or something...LONG DISTANT from the events you're about to describe. Forces a disconnect between the event and the reader to me. Does that make any sense to anyone?


Interesting take.


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## Mambi (Jun 24, 2021)

Mambi said:


> It's like setting it in the past forces the reader to assume all's fine, safe, and we're just reviewing in a meeting or interrogation or something...LONG DISTANT from the events you're about to describe. Forces a disconnect between the event and the reader to me. Does that make any sense to anyone?





Gushousekai195 said:


> Interesting take.



Thanks. I have a way it might be more clear what I'm trying to say. Here's 2 writings and you tell me which feels more lively:

*"The deer read the paper carefully and burned it, then having seen the alien under the car, chased after him while dodging its eyeball attacks. Eventually it escaped having ducked into its shuttle and flying away invisibly."*

Kind of feels a little cold, doesn't it? Like you're reading an FBI report of the incident and it's not really happening, no danger anymore. Now let's change things up a little:


*"The deer reads the paper carefully, then seeing the alien under the car, chases after him while dodging its eyeball attacks. It eventually escapes, ducking into its shuttle and flying away invisibly"*

Now you can almost picture it unfolding in realtime, making the verbs *active* verbs instead of passive ones. Makes the event more engaging to the reader. (imho anyway)

Help any? _<the cat giggles and playfully bats a ball into the air, winking slowly with a grin>_


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## PC Master Race (Jun 24, 2021)

Mambi said:


> I find it usually more engrossing, because mentally you feel like it's happening *now* rather than already happened, making any scene feel more fresh and lively.
> 
> Simple example, a chase scene. If you're reading about it past-tense, you already know the outcome mostly...they're safe and escaped somehow. If you're reading it "live", then you feel anything could happen as the story's still unfolding in your mind, as opposed to after the fact.
> 
> It's like setting it in the past forces the reader to assume all's fine, safe, and we're just reviewing in a meeting or interrogation or something...LONG DISTANT from the events you're about to describe. Forces a disconnect between the event and the reader to me. Does that make any sense to anyone?





Mambi said:


> Thanks. I have a way it might be more clear what I'm trying to say. Here's 2 writings and you tell me which feels more lively:
> 
> *"The deer read the paper carefully and burned it, then having seen the alien under the car, chased after him while dodging its eyeball attacks. Eventually it escaped having ducked into its shuttle and flying away invisibly."*
> 
> ...


finally, someone's speaking my language


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## Kumali (Jun 24, 2021)

PC Master Race said:


> I know a bit of french so this is "your english is very good, well done" ?
> Because french was my nightmare at college



Yep, exactly! I tried to learn French and didn't get very far, but I can croak out the occasional simple sentence like that without too many mistakes...


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## Gushousekai195 (Jun 24, 2021)

Mambi said:


> Thanks. I have a way it might be more clear what I'm trying to say. Here's 2 writings and you tell me which feels more lively:
> 
> *"The deer read the paper carefully and burned it, then having seen the alien under the car, chased after him while dodging its eyeball attacks. Eventually it escaped having ducked into its shuttle and flying away invisibly."*
> 
> ...


Like I said, interesting take.

It’s just that I’m so used to reading stuff in past tense.  Just about every novel I’ve read is in past tense.


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## PC Master Race (Jun 24, 2021)

Kumali said:


> Yep, exactly! I tried to learn French and didn't get very far, but I can croak out the occasional simple sentence like that without too many mistakes...


oh man, tell me about it
just the tenses of the verbs alone got me pass out multiple times
in any case, yes I'm vietnamese, and my english is... somewhat decent, I guess... but like I said in my previous posts, I much prefer present tense in writings, it's simply easier for my brain to process things out



Gushousekai195 said:


> Like I said, interesting take.
> 
> It’s just that I’m so used to reading stuff in past tense.  Just about every novel I’ve read is in past tense.


and I've never read things in past tense up until I saw that it's a thing in english writting ; like I said, vietnamese verbs have no tenses, they all look the same so it depends on the context to tell what's in the past, present or future


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## vickers (Jun 24, 2021)

Mambi said:


> Thanks. I have a way it might be more clear what I'm trying to say. Here's 2 writings and you tell me which feels more lively:
> 
> *"The deer read the paper carefully and burned it, then having seen the alien under the car, chased after him while dodging its eyeball attacks. Eventually it escaped having ducked into its shuttle and flying away invisibly."*
> 
> ...


That's interesting... I guess it depends on what we're used to reading? To me, the first one feels much more natural, and the second one makes me feel like I'm constantly having to catch up to the story, as if I'm chasing a taxi. When I'm reading in the past tense it makes me feel more relaxed, as if I can read it in my own pace.

But most of the books I've read were written in the past tense, which is why I'm more used to it. It also depends on what language we're used to speaking, as mentioned in this thread.

Of course, these are just words and they mean the exact same thing on both sentences, but it's kind of amazing that a different tense can make me feel this way xD


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## Faustus (Jun 25, 2021)

Mambi said:


> Simple example, a chase scene. If you're reading about it past-tense, you already know the outcome mostly...they're safe and escaped somehow.


I'm not sure that's really true of past-tense. It's generally true of first-person perspective though.


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## perkele (Jun 26, 2021)

Present-tense makes me feel like the author is addressing me personally. I don't like the feeling; it's like when a television actor looks straight at the camera. I prefer past-tense by a wide margin.


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