Past tense vs future tense

St Force

I’m in a bit a muddle here. It’s a simple question but I’m confused. Can anyone help?

I’ve found myself writing “Bobby looked into the mirror” instead of “Bobby looks into the mirror” for present tense. Oops. The second sentence is right but by the time the reader has read it won’t it be in the past making the first sentence correct? I can understand if the character is reporting the events to us after they have happened, that is clearly past tense. EG I looked into the mirror then I brushed my teeth” but if they are happening at the moment the reader reads them it should be in the present tense.

I started to read through some books to see how other authors have solved the problem of tenses. In Eragon by Christopher Paolini it reads as follows “ ‘All right’ said the man, lowing his bow, thought he kept it ready. He waved at one of the archers, who slid to the ground and ran over.” So is this past or present tense? “Said” means past tense, it has already happened, but then the man is “lowering” his bow which is present tense. The next sentence is past tense again because he had already “waved” at an archer who “slid” to the ground. At a quick read through of one of the Harry Potter books I found similar sentences that I couldn’t decide if they were past or future because they used verbs in both tenses.

The question is, have I been writing in the wrong tense and why can Paolini and Rowing use words from both tenses?

boredrobots

I've never tried it because it's a real pain in the arse to get right!

I've just read some interesting articles on the subject though:

http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2008/11/a-writer-friend-doing-the-last-big-revision-of-her-new-novel-emailed-to-ask-me-what-i-think-of-present-tense-narratives-sh.html

http://suite101.com/article/writing-a-novel-or-short-story-in-present-tense-a106644

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/present-tense-novel.aspx

http://www.novel-writing-help.com/past-tense.html

heather

None of the above is in future tense. Your confusion is between the past and present tenses.

The sentence you've quoted is past tense. The clause 'lowering his bow' doesn't have any tense at all - it needs another verb to go with it.
You could say 'He was lowering his bow' (past) or 'he is lowering his bow' (present). 'Lowering his bow' is like shorthand for one of these and you can only tell which one by the verb in the main part of the sentence. In your example, the tense comes from the verb 'said' making the whole thing past tense.

Fiction can be written in either past or present tense, depending on the mood/style you are trying to create. Past is more like 'traditional' storytelling where you are relating events that have already happened. Using present tense can make the reader feel that they are watching the action as it actually happens and can be more dramatic but is sometimes tiring to read. It's a choice the writer has to make; neither is 'wrong'.
There isn't a contradiction in the fact that it will be past tense by the time they have read it - that's just like real life. While i was typing that I was doing it in the present - now already it is in the past.

Eddisbury

'Bobby looked...' or, 'Bobby looks...' Both are grammatically correct, of course, but which which you need depends upon the context.
'lowering' is a participle which can be used to form different tenses:
'He was lowering...' past
'He is lowering...' present
'He will be lowering,,,' future

Generally speaking I would say avoid present tense for narrative unless you are trying to create a real-time style for your story.

boredrobots

I never really understood why present tense is supposed to be more 'urgent and dramatic' than past tense.

"Jack opened the box and found the president's head..."

"Jack opens the box and finds the president's head..."

Still pretty shocking whichever way you look at it!

A lot of people say using present tense means the narrator can't die, but surely that's true for ANY tense when the main character is also the narrator?

Carol

Excuse me for asking but isn't it physically impossible for the archer to slide to the ground and run over at the same time?

Ignore me, and back to the tenses question...:)

Tiny Nell

Most fiction is written in the past tense, stf. I find reading a story in the present tense extremely irritating and would never write a story in the present. But that's my personal opinion.

However, you can do it. The reader the experiences the 'present' as they are reading it, so you could write: 'Bobby looks into the mirror. He sees an enormous spot. He pops it.' You have to be careful then not to write 'he said'; 'My God!' he yelps. 'Where did that come from?' (Notice he can change tense as the speaker.)

Good luck!

St Force

I changed the story into the present tence but found it differcult to read so I'm going to change it back. Thanks for explaining that everyone.

The quote “‘All right’ said the man, lowing his bow, thought he kept it ready. He waved at one of the archers, who slid to the ground and ran over.” is set half way through a chapter so the archer who was waved to, slid down from a platform of some sort. Just so we can clear that up. :-)

Carol

Ah that makes more sense, StF. :)

Red

Past tense is, as most have pointed out, the best tense to work with while you are cutting your writing teeth. Present tense is a ball ache, and unless you really know your stuff and you've been around the writing block a good many times, then don't attempt it. If you want to see an example of a complete balls up of mashed tenses, try reading Twilight. And from your example, even Paolini cocked t up. Not only do established writers struggle with tenses, but they also seem quite apt at buggering up POV at the same time. Amazing.

Stick to past tense. As for future tense - although it exists in English, for fiction it's obsolete and has no place in creative writing, simply because you can't write a story about what is going to happen and maintain the predictive tense. Even that would make hardy readers go boss-eyed!

Lou Treleaven

Have you read The Hunger Games trilogy, st? Great example of present tense.

[quote=Red]As for future tense - although it exists in English, for fiction it's obsolete and has no place in creative writing, simply because you can't write a story about what is going to happen and maintain the predictive tense. Even that would make hardy readers go boss-eyed! [/quote]

Now that would be weird!

boredrobots

Steven will like the above comments when he reads them...

First person future tense for the win!

Lou Treleaven

This thread will be useful to others too!

Emma B

Thanks for bringing this up st force, past and present tense has always confused me but I now feel a lot better about it!

Grimmy

I have actually encountered a book written- at least partially-in the future tense in English. It's called "The Man of My Dreams" and I think the author is Carrie Steinfeld (I may have that wrong!) She's an American writer. It was an interesting read!

danfango

[quote=Red]Stick to past tense. As for future tense - although it exists in English, for fiction it's obsolete and has no place in creative writing, simply because you can't write a story about what is going to happen and maintain the predictive tense. Even that would make hardy readers go boss-eyed![/quote]

"No place in creative writing" is a little strong. I'd agree that third-person, past tense is a good place to start when you're finding your way with writing. But the other tenses are there, and they offer different effects. Used with caution, and a clear understanding of what you're doing, a 'non-standard' tense can lift a piece of writing to a new level and make it really come alive.

The only problem is when everyone's doing it and it ends up looking stale. Present tense is fashionable again at the moment, particularly for historical novels, and probably is in danger of overstaying its welcome.

[quote=bored_robots]Steven will like the above comments when he reads them...First person future tense for the win![/quote]
Er ... isn't that third-person?

boredrobots

Not if I'm Steven :P

Neph

But surely that is you referring to yourself in the third person?

Lou Treleaven

There is a third person on this thread!

Red

[quote=danfango]"No place in creative writing" is a little strong[/quote]

It's meant to be. I've lost count of the amount of tense mash ups from stories and novels that land in my email box for critique, and it's clear that so many writers have problems with present tense, particularly in novels. This medium works very well in short strories, but to carry it full length takes some skill, and I absolutely advocate that beginners cut their teeth with past tense until they are experienced enough to carry present tense through an entire novel. But as I've already said, even established authors trip up. I'm all for experimentation and coming up with something new, after all that's what 'novel' means, but not at the expense of being overlooked by agents and publishers who will balk at the idea of someone writing future tense, say, and particularly so with writers who are not yet esablished or who are not published mainstream.

My point is that future tense isn't sustainable through an entire novel and it's not the way to go to impress future agents or publishers. It won't even make the slush pile - editors will chuck it in the bin.

danfango

That's a fair point - a future-tense novel would do my head in. Plus, by definition, nothing would happen from start to finish so I can't see how you'd get any kind of resolution at any point.

SilentTony

Have to agree with Red on this. Don't think I could read more than a paragraph or two of future tense before developing a headache. It's okay inserted I guess, such as plans being explained in future tense in bank heists and such. But that's only using it as a device, usually in dialogue and for a very small portion of the book as a whole.

Lou Treleaven

Yes, it would be most bizarre.

Claudia

Interesting thread!
I write my flash fiction stories mainly in the past tense - but sometimes in the present if it feels right. Both my entries into our Talkback Anthology are present tense stories and they're ones I particularly like - not sure what that says about my writing. :rolleyes: