Okay, so we‘ve talked about the vices and virtues of first and third person, but what about tenses? I don‘t think I‘ve ever read anything in future tense; although I‘m sure it‘s possible. Almost everything for adults is in past tense, isn‘t it? What do you like writing in? Anyone have problems sticking with one in a first draft?
#writersoflitsy #nanowrimo #listynano #creativewriting #pov #tense
Texreader I generally dislike present tense. Only the very best writers can pull it off in my opinion. 6y
GingerAntics @Texreader I‘ll agree with that. Usually I write in past tense, but all of a sudden now I start in past and I end up slipping into present, and then when I notice it throws off my rhythm because I go back to fix it. Then again it probably doesn‘t matter for writing and development exercises anyway. They‘re never going to see the light of day. lol (edited) 6y
RaimeyGallant I prefer writing in past, but I have written in present as well. I suppose I've written portions of essays in future, but it's disorienting, and I don't like it. A lot of adult and YA novels are written in present these days. 6y
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CocoReads Usually past. I‘ve been writing in 3rd person but I‘ve got a character screaming in my head that only comes through in first person. (Arrogant rock stars-what can you do? 🤷♀️) 6y
twohectobooks I have no problems with first person unless present tense is also involved. Present tense has occasionally been done effectively but usually doesn‘t work for me. Not sure I‘ve ever seen second person deployed in a way I enjoyed much either. My own writing tends to be a mix of first person and third, trending toward third. Trying to think of whether I‘ve ever seen future tense and I can‘t think of any examples! 6y
GingerAntics @CocoReads 🤣😂🤣 arrogant bastards! I think you‘re stuck with them...unless you kill them off!!! (Didn‘t know you were writing a murder mystery, did you? lol) 6y
GingerAntics @twohectobooks @Texreader there is a big gap in first person present and well done first person present. I think it‘s hard to get that to not sound almost like a little kid telling a story. I‘ve never read anything in second person and I‘m not sure I‘d enjoy it. I agree with @RaimeyGallant that future tense tends to be essays, but it‘s weird writing that way. 6y
GingerAntics @Texreader so how are you handling the first person sections of Cold My Heart? It threw me off at first and took me three chapters to figure out that she was using it in a very specific situation. At first I was trying to figure out who “I” was (I think it‘s actually two different “I”s, too). 🤨 p.s. no idea how far you‘ve gotten so I don‘t want to say too much. I‘m on chapter 5 now. 6y
Texreader @GingerAntics Only on chapter 2, but I was thinking about her writing in present tense because so far I think she‘s done it well. But I don‘t know yet who “I” is either. 6y
Adriannagab I always do past ... last week I had an assignment on micro fiction that had to be done in present tense. It was awful 😱😱😱 I spent like 2hrs trying to come up with one page and my mind kept going to past tense🤦🏽♀️. So yeah present tense is def for pros😂..Can‘t imagine anything written in future tense tho 6y
GingerAntics @Texreader oops, I gave a little something away then. Don‘t look. lol 6y
GingerAntics @Adriannagab I keep slipping between the two while doing exercises and development stuff right now. You could have written it in past and gone back and changed it to present. 6y
CrowCAH Mainly I write in first person past. I find that the easiest to write. But I have done third person closed past tense. I feel I need to challenge myself and write a first person present, since it seems that‘s what the young adult genre has started to use, but have yet to find the story to tell it in. 6y
GingerAntics @CrowCAH yeah, I get the feeling that first person present is going to feel weird unless it‘s just the right story. I‘m totally intimidated by present though. There are so many ways it can go wrong and only a few ways it can go right. 6y
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