Present vs. Past Tense in Fiction
Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 2:07PM (Welcome SheWriters!)
Today, I'm writing about first-person present tense vs. past tense in short stories and fiction. I have a client who has written a beautiful literary mystery in first-person present. I remember telling him initially that I thought he should consider past tense. Present tense can seem unnatural - even jarring in some cases. He didn't want to make the change at the time, but now an agent is interested in the novel, and she is suggesting he change it.
Michael Nye, editor of the Missouri Review, posted an interesting blog about it last fall. You can read it here. Essentially, he says first-person present tense is overused in fiction today, and that in some ways it can prevent the writing from exploring the past with the character.
"Present-tense seems to be a default mode for someone who isn’t carefully considering the style choices being made. It flattens the story. It flattens emotional and narrative distance and lacks the sense of shadowing, the illumination and darkening of a character’s world that strong narratives can create. The narrative choice suggests that there is nothing to remember about the past (and the past, to badly paraphrase Faulkner, isn’t ever really in the past) and nothing to expect of the future," Nye says.
I've thought about this quite a bit while writing my memoir. The past has everything to do with the present, and much to do with the future. Without considering the past, one cannot choose between following the same path or embarking upon another. We (or in the case of fiction, a character) cannot grow without having the knowledge of what has gone before and the ability to act on it. If we are forever in the moment, critical aspects of the story - ideas and experiences that inform the narrative - are left out. To understand what is at stake, for the character or oneself, requires a deeper exploration.
You can experiment with this yourself. Write a short story in first-person present tense and then rewrite it in past tense. See if there are elements of the story that emerge - even surprise you - in the past tense version.
Have you done this before? What was your experience?
Reader Comments (17)
Hello Marcia
I'm here from She Writes - this is my first visit. What an interesting blog! I'm going to have a look around.
Helen
Welcome, Helen! Thanks!
Also visiting from SheWrites.
Choosing a past or present tense narrative is tricky. In one of my novels, The Art of Falling, what worked best in the end was to have the present day story told in the present tense, and the interweaving story set in the past, in the past tense. It must have worked OK - perhaps on a subliminal level - because I did several author talks and book group visits with this book, and more than once the group admitted they hadn't actually noticed that, but it just seemed right!
I originally wrote my middle grade novel in present tense, and then someone suggested I change it to past tense. She was a multi-published author so I gave real thought to making the change. I was resistant at first, but in the end, I followed through with the past tense and I think the story is better for it. There's a certain story quality that past tense gives to a work. I've read some books in present tense that really felt awkward to me. I wished they had used past tense. Then again, I've read some books that were written in present tense and it was done incredibly well. I guess it depends on how well the author pulls it off.
Great post, and a challenge that I think I'll take you up on. There is value in telling the story from the future rather than through it...thanks for being a part of the blog hop!
Hi Helen ~
I'm trying to visit different sites than the last time I hopped (also thanks to Meg). I am very glad I chose yours, and will have to add it to my "must follow" list. I like to keep that list compact to make it easier to visit each of the sites every week...and still get my own writing done. (hahaha)
Your blog explores the kind of topics I'm highly interested in as a writer; and you write in a way that says it so well - not wasting words and enticing me to consider.
P.S. Were you ever part of National Forensics? You know... Debate? Just a thought...
A REALLY BIG P.S. ~
So Sorry Marcia!!!!!!!! I had Helen in my mind when I wrote my comment a few moments ago.
I apologize.
Hhhhmmm... Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. Marcia. OK. I think I got it now :~)
Hi Kathy,
No worries! Glad you enjoyed the post.
Shanyn, Kelly and Deborah, thanks for visiting and commenting! This topic is probably worth future blogs, as well. So fun to read all the other blogs. Thanks to Meg for giving us this way of discovering.
Great post. I'm visiting as part of the SheWriter Blog hop. So happy to find your site. Can't wait to read more....Thanks for the current post, I'm sure every one (writers) gleaned some insight from this.
Thanks, Dawn. Meg's blog hop is a great idea!
Hi, also visiting via the SheWrites Blogger Ball! I just finished THE FINANCIAL LIVES OF THE POETS, a novel that's very sucessfully written in first-person present-tense, and found it impossible to put down. When matched with a talented writer's skill and wit, FPPT can work very well. Thanks for the link to the Missouri Review post! Cheers from Denver, Karen
Thanks for the visit and your comments, Karen. And for the tip in The Financial Lives of Poets. Sounds like a good read.
Marcia
Informative post, Marcia. Thanks, from another SheWrites author.
I have really enjoyed reading your blog. I am not a fan of first person narrative. It seems to me to be the easy way out and pretty much assures the reader that at least the narrator will come out of the story.
Thanks for the challenge and the good read.
My pleasure, Mary! And thanks for coming by.
Marcia,
Thank you for the thought provoking post. I would love to get your reaction below...
I'm writing my novel in 3rd person limited past. The hook is in the protagonists recollections of past events. The main storyline acts as a gallery space with the recollections as the paintings on the wall. To pull the recollections forward I am writing them in first person present.
So far I am happy with the results, though it is hard work to keep them natural.
Any thoughts?
Cheers!
Robert
Hi Robert,
Your novel idea sounds intriguing. There are many examples of writers who mix past tense with present to great effect. Mary Karr's The Liars' Club comes to mind. The key, as you say, is to make sure the switch is so natural as to be unnoticeable. Good luck with it!
Marcia