I’m about halfway through rewriting my newest WIP. One of the things I’m doing is changing from past to present tense. It’s a tedious job but so far, I’m liking the results.
My reasons for making the change:
1. While writing the first draft, I kept breaking into present tense.
2. My WIP is a survival story and I was looking for more of a sense of immediacy than I was feeling with the first draft.
3. I’ve never written a novel in present tense and thought it’d be a good learning experience.
When I started my rewrite I had some major resistance to changing tenses because it looked like a huge job and I wasn’t sure it’d be worth the time. With writing, and teaching too for that matter, I’ve found that sometimes the things I feel resistance to are the very things I need to be working on.
Have you pushed through any resistance lately? How did it go?
What factors help you to determine the right tense for your novel? Have you ever rewritten a novel in a different tense? How did it turn out for you?
Good luck changing it. The Hunger Games is in the present tense, and it does give immediacy to the action.
I’ve tried 3rd-person and 1st-person past tense. For my WIP, I’m now switching from present to past tense depending on whether it’s recent of a memory, as a mystery unravels. It’s a challenge to keep track!
I started writing in first oen time, then realized it was better served in past. A survival story seems a great one to be in present. I’m sure you’ll catch past tense typos later on! 🙂 Good luck!
Good for you! I tried changing one novel to present and then couldn’t–I kept switching back. But I see your point about wanting the immediancy of it. It sound great!
Good luck with the tense change, Paul! I’m sure the tedious work will pay off; I think you have good reasons for wanting to change it to present tense.
When I think about tense, I think about the target age group, as well as the nature of the story – whether it’s fast-paced with lots of action, or slower-paced with lots of time to feel emotion, or whatever. I also try to notice what tense I keep “falling into” when I write. I’ve never tried writing in a tense as a learning experience, but that’s probably because I’m so new to this that pretty much everything I write is a learning experience!
I’ve always stuck to past tense, but then I write historical fiction. It just seems to kind of go that way.
However, I’ve also always written in third person. My new book started itself in present though and it’s really working well.
Good luck!
If you are liking the results, I’d say it sounds like the right move. But, ugh, on changing it all and then hoping you don’t glaze over and miss some.
I write mostly in third person past, but have tried some first present when a story felt right that way.
I can’t even answer your RESISTANCE question, because I’ve got it bad as evidenced by the all-caps. Sigh. I’m still sorting out the why and wherefore of that.
*Jumps up and down* Third person, past tense girl here. Someday I might do present tense just to prove to myself I can.
If you like it, I say GO FOR IT! Good luck! 🙂
Wow! Sounds like a lot of work, but if you like it better, then it will all be worth it. Good luck!
I think your need for immediacy is an excellent reason to be in present tense. I dislike it when I read stories in present tense that are just regular stories, lol. It makes me feel like the author just did it because “present tense is hot”. Present tense CAN be awesome, but only when it’s used for the right reasons. In my opinion, one of the only really GOOD reasons for present tense is because the story needs to rush you forward, play on your adrenaline and be IMMEDIATE. If it’s not a life and death, “ahhhhh” tension filled story, then past tense is just fine.
And you’re thinking “sheesh, I didn’t ASK you THAT ali!” 😉
Good luck with your rewrite Paul! And me and resistance? We’re like THIS.
I find that happening a lot with certain books. Therefore, I was surprised when I did just the reverse in a story that I’d almost completed and couldn’t relate to in the present tense. It would be interesting to do a study of why some books have to be in past and others in present.
You are so brave, Paul! The only stories I’ve ever written that worked were written in first person past tense. I’ve tried 3rd person. I’ve tried present tense. I can’t do either.
But THE HUNGER GAMES is written in present and I think it’s awesome. It make the whole story more intense. I hope it works out for you!
Okay, so how do you decide whether to write your story in first person or third? That’s my current dilemma. Thoughts?
My previous novels were third person past tense, but one wasn’t sitting well so when I went back to revise it yet again I ended up changing it to first person present. The first person part worked, but the present tense didn’t, so it eventually ended up first person past tense. I think a lot depends on the kind of story and the personality of the MC.
First person POV radically limits the reader’s perspective. Present tense has an immediacy that can keep the reader very much in the story, which is great for keeping things moving, but I found it was harder to deal with subtleties of backstory or foreshadowing. I’d love to hear an editor’s or agent’s opinion/explanation of the advantages and disadvantages.
I can totally relate to having to go through a novel to change the tenses around. I have a tendency to start in one tense then switch to another. I really like the present tense, and for some stories it works really well. Good luck with your tense-changing, I know what a major chore it can be.
I re-wrote my whole finished novel into present tense. Then I went back and re-wrote the past scenes into past tense and kept the present scenes in present tense. It was confusing and complicated and hard work and ultimately hugely satisfying because I’ve ended up very happy with it.
Some stories/scenes lend themselves to present tense and discovering which is part of the journey of writing each story.
Good luck with your changes!
Judy(South Africa)
I always worry about having the right tense and point of view for my books. I have changed point of view for one book. Now I am wondering if that was the best choice. I have never used anything but past tense, but I always slip into present when ever I am writing and it is really flowing. I think it would be fun to try present for the challenge of it and I wonder if it would be easier to get into flow in present. Maybe you have inspired me!
I’ve re-written parts of my novels in past and present tense, and 1st and 3rd person; I find that sometimes the best way of determining which is the best is to simply buckle down and write the words, since in the end the effort pays off and you end up with a better draft.
Dude, yes! This is it exactly. Sometimes the things we resist the most are what we need to do. I have written in past and present tense, in the same novel. I have switched from third to first and back again. I’ve done major bad things and then had to redo them.
I’m glad your rewriting is going well!
My last book was in present tense. I liked it! The one I just finished was past tense. I do have to be on “tense alert” though, since I find myself switching back and forth.
Good luck with your revision!
How cool! And what a ton of work. I give you a lot of credit for following your instincts!
I haven’t switched tenses, but I have a few friends who did with great results. Good luck!
Sounds like you made the right decision. I like books told in present tense and the immediacy of the action. SO inspiring that you pushed through and tried something despite the work load.
I must admit that writing in present tense scares me at this point. I feel like I need a couple more books under my belt before I attempt it, but it’s certainly intriguing.
I think it would be interesting if you posted an example of this from your ms: a couple paragraphs of the original past tense, and then the new present tense version. I’d love to read this and see how it helped the writing!