Tuesday, February 5, 2013

"Two Tense for Words" or "Tense and Tensibility" (I can't decide.)

 
                                                                                
 Greetings to Insecure Writers everywhere!  Thanks for taking  time to stop by the nut-tree.

As of late I have been pondering the use of present tense—specifically in fiction, and would value greatly hearing your opinions and expertise on this matter.
I admit I have (ahem) some trouble with reading a novel written in present tense. 
There.  I’ve said it.
If any of you lovely, dedicated writers have been slaving away for years on a fiction book written in present tense—my apologies for being so pedestrian and please don’t start over on my account. It’s me--not you.  I know I should be more open to different styles, and focus more on the writing--but I just can’t handle reading a whole novel in present tense!  It stresses me out!  I always feel like I am hanging by my britches, apprehensively suspended, hovering mid-sentence.  I can’t live like that! 

I began examining my "intense" feelings regarding this subject, pondering present tense’s merits, and trying to figure out why it usually gives me the twitchy-eye.  And surprisingly, on closer examination, I find I do actually enjoy some aspects of present tense--in small doses.  It’s just that when expertly done—one hardly notices.
 

 Louise Erdrich’s “Love Medicine” made quite an impact on me as a young reader and writer, with her chapter by chapter switcheroo on tenses.  (She does it with such grace and aplomb.) It works well for poetry too, and for discussing literature, or writing an essay.  I also  like it when a Midwesterner tells his story in present tense, as in, “So I say to the guy…”.   This week I  read a most delicious, brilliant short story by blogger and writer Jessika Fleck called “Stolen”, written in—you guessed it, present tense.  “Stolen” is the perfect example of how present-tense can be used to create a sense of immediacy and anticipation in a story.  I also recalled something from those hazy college years about present tense and like, stream of consciousness writing, Dude.
Then the idea struck me.

I went and rewrote two dream sequences in my current MG novel (which is written in third-person past) and put them in the present tense.  The results were... interesting. I felt it made for a stronger sense of dream-like awareness.   I may even keep it that way.  I often eat my words and quite enjoy the taste of them when the realization benefits me in some manner.  (Then I don’t feel like such a hypocrite.)

Do you enjoy one tense over the other, or does the whole thing just make you tense up?  (You knew that was coming, right?) Do you have a favorite book told in the present, or do you rest easy in the past? Please let us know your feelings on the matter.  Nothing says lovin’ like somethin' in the comments section.

~Just Jill
P.S.  If you would like to read more about this techno-weanie-gearhead subject, here are two articles I found interesting.  The first, entitled “Unearthing the Bones” is from Michael Nye, the managing editor of the Missouri review, and second is an article from Salon, called "The fierce fight over the present tense" by Laura Miller.
 


 

32 comments:

  1. Ooo - present tense gets to me. I don't like reading it. My feelings; a book should be in past tense because it was written and not currently being written or something like that. I agree it can work but it isn't my taste.

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  2. Present tense? Too tense...
    I think it would get too awkward...

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  3. Some might think so... Tense is right! The "Fierce Fight" article at the bottom of the blogpost really showed that people can get uptight over just about anything!
    Thanks for stopping by the nut-tree Michelle. I'll pop 'round your place later.
    ~Just Jill

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  4. Not a present tense fan at all, neither reading nor writing it. But,: to each her own, and may those dreams fly!

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    1. Nicely said Alison!
      Thanks so much for stopping by!
      ~Jill

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  5. Thanks for linking my story Jill!

    And, well, not surprisingly I love writing/reading in present tense. I think it has to do with me being someone who has difficulty getting sucked into a story. When I pick up a book in PT, I have no choice but be tossed right in (when done well)!

    I just finished my first PT novel and am quite pleased with it, though writing (as w/reading) in the present can be pretty intense as well. Great post!

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    1. The pleasure has been all ours Jessika. "Stolen" is truly a juicy sweet jewel. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since I read it.
      ~Just Jill

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  6. Interesting question. I am not a big fan of present tense, although in small doses it can be quite powerful. I'm also not a huge fan of first person. I prefer close third. But, I'm not sure either of those is a popular favorite with readers.

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    1. Hi Rosi!
      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comments. Ahhh...the readers. What DO they want from us anyway...
      ~Just Jill

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  7. I don't care for present tense either. I know it is becoming quite popular in YA but it does bother me. I have stopped reading books because they were in present tense and it was like having a woodpecker knocking on my head. I can try to ignore it but it doesn't go away and after awhile it's just too much.

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    1. Funny how this tense can illicit such physical reactions isn't it? Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Ms. Bowers!
      ~Just Jill

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  8. I agree with Rosi about present tense usually working better in "small doses." Although, it could be very effective under the right circumstances. I love your title "Tense and Tensibility!" You really did a great job putting this all together Jill!
    Julie

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    1. Hi Julie,
      Thanks for the kind compliments, and as always, thanks for taking the time to stop by the nut-tree.
      ~Just Jill

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  9. I can't say I hate or love either - done well, present tense is fine with me, although I think it lends itself better to the short story. I have read some fantastic novels written in the present and barely noticed after the first page or so. Thanks for the food for thought! Found you through IWSG. :-)

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    1. Hi Linda, Thanks for stopping by the nut-tree and for leaving a comment too! Love IWSG!
      (I feel so secure!)
      ~Just Jill

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  10. I don't think I would choose to write in the present tense, but when someone else does it, with skill, in the right type of novel, it doesn't trouble me. Interesting question, though.

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    1. Hi Pauline, Thanks for stopping by and pausing to comment. I am in your camp about present tense.
      ~Just Jill

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  11. For my current WIP, which is contemporary realism with a flash of some sweet tooth, I'm going with the present tense because I feel that it would bring the reader closer to the story and the characters as it's happening.

    When I read thrillers/horror told through first-person in the past tense, for some reason, I might assume that the narrator lives through the story, if he is able to tell it in the past tense. And that takes away some of the suspense for me. Telling such a story in the present tense keeps me guessing.

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    1. Hi Cynthia, Interesting observation about thrillers/horror novels. There is a funny time-traveler aspect to present tense, isn't there? Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Just Jill

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  12. I've read exactly one novel written in present tense and there's a reason for that. I can't stand it. Every sentence just sounds wrong. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but it flows easier for me a reader when a book is written in past tense.

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    1. Nothing wrong with being old fashioned, Dear. Some of the best cocktails I know have that name.
      Thanks for stopping 'round and thanks especially for taking the time to comment.
      ~Just Jill

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  13. Well, I'm about to make your eye twitch as I have written a novel in present tense and it is erotic horror with werewolves. *ducks, waiting for slap* :) I could not tell Maxie's story an other way. The first line is "The name's Maxie Briscoe and I am a werewolf..." There was no going past tense with that.

    I think it depends entirely on the story and the voice. It is a hard voice to nail and can be grating.

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    1. Kudos to you Melissa! No eye twitch here...I think I've experienced a revival of appreciation for present tense. (And I would never slap anyone who stopped by the nut-tree and took the time to leave a comment. Heavens!)
      So who's gonna leave a comment in present tense,eh?
      ~Just Jill

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  14. honestly, Jill, you're among friends. I have met so many authors who had the exact same experience, me included. Didn't like first person for years... until, you got it--I wrote my first first-person scene. Changed everything. I still use 3rd and past tense, but I do love my first.

    Kudos!

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  15. Hi Joylene,
    Thanks for taking the time to stop by. Always good to hear from you!
    ~Just Jill

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  16. Stopping in from Celebrating the Small Things...your link is broken there, so you probably need to fix it. There's a comma where a period should be in the url. I typed it in correctly: jillhaugh.blogspot.com, which is how I landed here. The comma is between your name and blogspot.

    Regarding writing tense, it really does depend on what is being written, imo. Best of the weekend to you!

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  17. I read your comment about present tense in your dream. I just finished editing a chapter in my WIP that starts with a nightmare. I wrote that in present tense, then switched to my usual mode when the MC came rearing awake. It was effective. And then there was the scene in a best-selling novel set in medieval Europe chronicling four sisters, telling of one woman's wedding night - in present tense. Not good. Distenseful, in fact!

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  18. HI Diana,
    Thanks for stopping by the nut-tree! I have just added "Distenseful" to my vocabulary!
    ~Just Jill

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  19. Yeah, I'm sure that there's some really cool stuff you can do with the present tense, but I can't come up with a simple rule for when you should use it, or when I'd use it myself. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  20. Thanks for stopping by! Always nice to hear new voices.
    ~Jill

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  21. Tense and Tensibility - snort - love it!

    I completely agree about the use of present tense, and it is one huge reason why reading a certain very popular fantasy book with the words Circus and Night in the title is, for me, the literary equivalent of slogging through mud.

    However, I'm very intrigued about your experiment. How fascinating that the sequence took on an entirely different quality, as though it were seen through a new lens or prism.

    Fascinating post!

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  22. I don't think I could read a whole book in the present tense either. Past tense is generally used for a reason - it works. Sometimes though, I guess present tense might be appropriate. I can see how it could work in a dream sequence. May even give it a try myself... :-)
    Great post!

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Please use your words and comment freely! We really should meet!