HelloOoOo everybody!
Alright, you guys! I'm finally doin’ it! I'm talking about past and present tense because it's not like you guys have been asking or anything . . . In particular, this topic was requested by one of my patrons over on Patreon, AJ Mason! AJ is one of my OG patrons. She has been around for a long time, and we adore her! Like so many writers, she is conflicted about whether to write in past or present tense, so we're here to help! We're gonna get to the bottom of this pickle right now!
First things first, what is past tense? Past tense means you are writing your story as if the events have already occurred. You’ll usually end up writing past tense verbs. For example, “She slammed her fist into the wall.”
What is present tense? Present tense means you are writing your story as if the events are unfolding right now. In this case, you often use present tense verbs. For example, “She slams her fist into the wall.”
Simple, right? Except people have lots of qualms with both past and present tense. They're not sure which one is a better fit for their story. So to make things a little bit easier, I'm going to give you the pros and cons of both past and present tense, starting with good old reliable past tense.
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Pro Number 1: It’s Invisible
Past tense is the go-to tense for 90% of written media. Articles, nonfiction, the news–all past tense. Because of this, it's what readers are most familiar with. Thus, they do not notice it. When you utilize it in fiction, there's no period of adjustment on the reader’s part. They don't have to get used to it because they're already conditioned to it. That means they can immediately immerse themselves in the story without getting hung up on the words and that's a very good thing.
Pro Number 2: It’s Genre-Flexible
Past tense isn't just the go-to for nonfiction, it's also the go-to for a majority of genre fiction. Fantasy is predominantly past tense. Sci-fi is predominantly past tense. Mystery, also past tense. You see where I'm going with this? It's not a tense that feels wonky or out of place from genre to genre, because again, it's invisible. Additionally, past tense is often considered more suspenseful and believable, which are necessary traits for a variety of genres. No matter which genre you write, there's a good chance that past tense will be a great fit for your story.
Pro Number 3: Freedom
Present tense is told moment-to-moment, which can be very limiting. Past tense, on the other hand, doesn't have this problem. Your story, in theory, has already occurred. It happened in the past, which means that if you want to, you can skip around through time. You can summarize a stuffy dinner or breeze through a boring meeting in order to get to the next scene. “She shoveled down her dinner, then left for her friend's house.” Boom! Movin’ on to something interesting.
Some writers call this fast-forwarding. You're essentially giving a peek at what went down and then you're movin’ on. You can describe the moment in detail. You can use scene breaks or time skips. You can fast-forward. You can utilize a transition. You can move through time pretty much however you please. This freedom is specific to past tense and it makes transitioning from scene to scene so much easier.
Con Number 1: So Many Options!
Too many options. Simple past. Past progressive. Past perfect. Past perfect progressive. Past insensitive. Future, in the past. These are all different kinds of past tense, and there are more of them! There are a lot more kinds of past tense than there are present tense, and with all these options, it can get a little confusing. Just a little! While past tense is the more common of the two tenses, it's also seen as the harder one to write and that's largely because of all the options you gotta deal with.
Con Number 2: Telling
With present tense, you are in the present. You are describing what's happening from moment to moment. With past tense, you don't have this limitation, which is both a blessing and a curse. As we covered, this gives you the freedom to hop through time, but it also gives you the freedom to be lazy! It is much easier to fall into bad habits when writing in past tense, specifically the habit of telling as opposed to showing. Telling is not quite so natural in present tense, but in past tense, the door is wide open and you have to be diligent about not walking through it.
Con Number 3: The Boredom Factor
Present tense takes place in the now, so it has a very naturally active feel. Past tense doesn't have this advantage. In order to make your past tense novel feel active, you need to utilize powerful, active verbs. Some writers, particularly new writers, don't know this. Or, they try to cut corners and instead, they utilize boring, passive verbs which translates into–you guessed it! A boring, passive story. This is a con you can easily overcome, you just need to get into the habit of writing engaging verbs.
Now that we've covered the pros and cons of past tense, let's move on to present tense.
Pro Number 1: It's Immediate
Present tense illustrates actions moment by moment, which means they're happening in real-time. Because of this, there's an automatic sense of urgency in your story. You don't necessarily need to rely on active verbs because the tense itself is active. When utilized correctly, this can make readers feel like they are right alongside the characters experiencing the story as it happens.
Pro Number 2: It's Casual
Past tense is kinda like a written letter, whereas present tense feels more like a story told around a campfire. There's a casual, conversational feel associated with present tense that can be very desirable depending on the tone of your story. There's an intimacy to it because the reader is beside the main character throughout their journey. It feels less like a formal narration and more like a person's experience.
Pro Number 3: It's Easy
As we already covered, there are a bajillion different forms of past tense. Present tense, not so much. There are only a few different types of present tense, which ultimately makes it easier to write. You don't have to be grammatically inclined to get the hang of it, which is very enticing, especially if you're a novice. It's also easier to acclimate to because you feel like you're in your protagonist’s position from moment to moment. If you're looking for an easy way to get started with storytelling, present tense is a good option.
Con Number 1: It's Trendy
Present tense is currently very on-trend in contemporary and literary fiction. If you're writing a present tense contemporary, congratulations! That's exactly what your readers are expecting. But if you're writing literally any other genre, shit might get bumpy. Does that mean you can't write a present tense sci-fi novel? Of course not! It just means the average sci-fi reader probably isn't used to it.
“But Jenna, I'm writing contemporary! That means I'm in the clear, right?”
Sorta... Maybe. You know what they say about trends: they die. There is no way to tell when the trends will change or the tide will turn. It may not be for decades. This is just something to be aware of, especially if you're a really, really slow writer.
Con Number 2: It's Awkward
Since past tense is the standard for most written works, present tense tends to stand out in a big way. That means for a majority of genres, if you're writing in present tense, people are gonna notice and probably be a little jarred. They're gonna have to adjust, and if you're a shitty writer, that adjustment might never come. Sorry ’bout it!
People who are used to past tense often feel that present tense comes off as a play-by-play. “He runs down the field. He catches the ball. He wins the points. Go, sports!” It may be easier to make mistakes with past tense, but it's also easier to get readers comfortable with the story. Present tense doesn't have that benefit.
Con Number 3: It's Inflexible
Remember how you get to hop through time in past tense? Can't really do that with present. You don't get to breeze through boring moments, because you are stuck in the now. This can make things difficult because sometimes characters brush their teeth or take a shit. You don't want to write about your character taking a shit, do you? In this case, your options are mostly limited to time skips. You add a scene break and cut to an entirely different hour or day. Just make sure you don't utilize scene breaks in rapid succession because that will make the story feel choppy. Otherwise, you should be okay.
So that's all I've got for you today!
Which tense is better, past or present? Honestly, it depends. What all these points boil down to is that present tense is easier to write and past tense is easier to read. But you can make either tense work in your favor. Choose what fits your story best, hone your craft, get feedback, and you can make either tense work great!
A huge thank you to AJ for requesting this topic! If you'd like the chance to have a video and post dedicated to you or if you want access to tons of other awards, check me out on Patreon! We've got early access to videos, we've got an exclusive writing group, we have a monthly live stream, we've got signed merch! The link is listed right here!
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Thank you so much for discussing this topic in a very easy to understand manner! I'm a novice writer myself and found that writing in the present tense was definitely much easier. But it felt off when I was reading back through it and now I know why. This post helped clear a lot of things up for me though, so thank you!