She sits, second row on the left side of the chapel. The pew in front of her remains empty, and so as she weaves her fingers together, apart, together again, she has an unobstructed view of the open casket and Silas, his forehead and nose bumping up past the line of the box.
Present tense. You are in the moment, yourself a spectator.
Now let's shift gears for a moment...
She sat, second row on the left side of the chapel. The pew in front of her remained empty, and so as she wove her fingers together, apart, together again, she had an unobstructed view of the open casket and Silas, his forehead and nose bumping up past the line of the box.
Past tense. Already done and gone, relayed to you by a first-hand observer.
Same excerpt, two tenses. Which stands out to you more? As writers and readers, each of us has a preference.
When reading, does one form put you off? I'm in the middle of The Nanny Diaries, written in the present tense. As a proponent of past tense, particularly in longer works, I find it stops me short at times.
When writing, how do you choose the tense you'll use? Is it intrinsic for you, something you don't even consider? Or do you weigh the options against the work, the ultimate output and the characters who live the story?
Showing posts with label past tense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label past tense. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Monday, April 28, 2008
POV Is A Tricky Thing
I thought I had it planned out well from the beginning. And I told myself I wouldn't change it. But now, after having written my entire manuscript in first person point of view (POV), I've decided it needs to be third person POV (past tense, more than likely limited).
I'd started pondering the possibility of such a change a week or so ago, and by Saturday I was convinced it's what needs to happen.
Going through the ms for this change, much of which I've already edited, both daunts and excites me. It will be a mundane, time-consuming task to convert all the Is and mines to shes and hers. But I think it'll give way to a better story, and prove helpful for my job of showing vs. telling.
Has anyone else made a similar change so late in the process?
I'd started pondering the possibility of such a change a week or so ago, and by Saturday I was convinced it's what needs to happen.
Going through the ms for this change, much of which I've already edited, both daunts and excites me. It will be a mundane, time-consuming task to convert all the Is and mines to shes and hers. But I think it'll give way to a better story, and prove helpful for my job of showing vs. telling.
Has anyone else made a similar change so late in the process?
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