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Past tense vs future tense
Im in a bit a muddle here. Its a simple question but Im confused. Can anyone help?
Ive 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 wont 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 couldnt 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?
Comments
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
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.
'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.
"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?
Ignore me, and back to the tenses question...:)
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!
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. :-)
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=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!
First person future tense for the win!
"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?
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.
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: