It has been used in fiction for hundreds of years, and there's no reason you can't use it if you want to. There's nothing wrong with it, even if it does annoy some readers. That being said, from a technical perspective, present tense is perfectly acceptable. Some readers, in fact, won't read past the few pages if your book is in present tense. Reading stories in past tense is so normal that reading present tense narratives can feel jarring and annoying to many readers. One main reason is simply that it's the convention. There are many reasons past tense is the standard for novels. If you can't decide which tense you should use in your novel, you should probably write it in past tense. Past tense is by far the most common tense, whether you're writing a fictional novel or a nonfiction newspaper article. Both Past Tense and Present Tense Are Fine With that in mind, make sure to save this guide, so you can have it as a resource when you begin your next novel. That's why it's so important to choose between past and present tense before you start writing your novel. Unfortunately, the more you've written of your novel, the harder it is to change tenses, and if you do end up deciding to change tenses, it can take many hours of hard work to correct the shift.
On top of that, I often talk to writers who are halfway finished with their first drafts, or even all the way finished, and are now questioning which tense they should be using. It's one of the most common mistakes people make when they are writing fiction for the first time. New writers are notorious for switching back and forth between past and present tense within their books. This is a short example, but what do you think? How are they different? Which version do you prefer?Ĭhoose Between Past and Present Tense BEFORE You Start Writing Your Novel Present tense, on the other hand, sets the narration directly into the moment of the events:įrom the safety of his pickup truck, John watches as his beloved house burns to the ground. For example:įrom the safety of his pickup truck, John watched as his beloved house burned to the ground. In fiction, a story in past tense is about events that happened in the past. What's the Difference Between Present and Past Tense? *Future tense is certainly technically possible, but it's used so rarely in fiction we're going to skip it here.
Which tense should you choose for your novel? There are only two viable options: past tense or present tense.* One of the first decisions you have to make when you're writing a novel or short story is which tense to use.
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