Tense Times Ahead!
As part of seeing whether the editor and my manuscript was the right fit, the editor provided a 1000-word sample edit. And boy…. Did I get ripped to shreds.
Sure there were times I chose the wrong adjective, grammar, or spelled lightning as “lightening”. But my biggest mistake?
Present or past tense.
Apparently, my creation is caught between both. And it cannot be both. I must choose. Do I want first-person present tense… OR… First-person past tense.
I need to make this decision before December, which is when I’ve booked my manuscript into be edited.
Looking into the two different styles, first-person present tense offers:
Immediate engagement, creating a sense of urgency and immediacy;
Intimacy, readers feel more connected, experiencing events alongside the protagonist;
Tension building, enhancing suspense as the outcome is unknown;
Vivid details, allowing for more sensory and emotional detail in the moment; and
Immersive experience, can feel like a real-time unfolding story.
But then first-person past tense offers:
Reflective depth, the narrator can offer insights and hindsight;
Smooth flashbacks, easier to weave in past events or memories naturally;
Versatile pacing, flexibility to speed up or slow down events;
Suspense through omission, the narrator may hint at outcomes, creating intrigue;
Authentic storytelling feel, feels like a story being recounted, familiar to readers.
When I reflect on my manuscript and think about my original plans as a writer and the main character’s point of view I’ve written in, it seems I had initially set out to write in first-person present tense and without realising it, have dipped into past tense. Which means I am leaning towards ensuring my manuscript is first-person present tense…
But I cannot dismiss the benefits of storytelling that comes with first-person past tense…
What are your thoughts? Have you read stories and novels in with both styles? Which did you prefer more as a reader?
xo A.R.Willow
