McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Present tense
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: Morraeon on May 09, 2007, 10:05:14 PM ---Rumer Godden is a master of using different tenses for different threads of a narrative (In "China Court", a family history as well as a history of the house that family lived in, she used the present tense in flashbacks to the past, the past tense for the present and sometimes she'd shift to the future tense when she was describing rooms in the house and the events that took place in them, almost as if it were being described from the POV of the house observing the family activities), but I'll admit, it can take a little getting used to.
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Rumer Godden was a genius. (Is ? I have no idea whether she's still alive).
I find novels in the present tense a bit irritating, unless there's a good reason for them to be so, and I don't think it adds to immediacy, really. I'd never write a whole novel in it, I think, but sometimes a specific viewpoint character wants to be in present. Angels, for some reason, seem to want that a lot.
Matrix Refugee (formerly Morraeon):
--- Quote from: neurovore on May 10, 2007, 07:44:45 PM ---Rumer Godden was a genius. (Is ? I have no idea whether she's still alive).
I find novels in the present tense a bit irritating, unless there's a good reason for them to be so, and I don't think it adds to immediacy, really. I'd never write a whole novel in it, I think, but sometimes a specific viewpoint character wants to be in present. Angels, for some reason, seem to want that a lot.
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Was, actually. She passed away in 1997 or 1998, if I remember correctly.
Zygoptera:
--- Quote from: eviladam on May 10, 2007, 08:37:52 AM ---Oh wow what's Laurie's book about? I have to get a copy of that.
I've read present tense stuff and liked it. I've also read novels that switched back and forth. There's a Star Trek novel, who's title escapes me, that prominentlly features Doctor McCoy, and it's set mostlly on a world with genetically enhanced assasins. When the novel switches to an assasin's pov it's present tense. I thought that really helped get you into the assasin's mind frame.
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Called "The Gun Seller" and when I went to look through it again, I realized that it's really more of a weird mix between a story being told in the present tense but using the past tense to tell it. I know, that doesn't make any sense at all. Sorry. Look up the excerpt on amazon to see what I mean. But it's a fun read. I'd recommend it.
Mickey Finn:
I hate it. Can't read the author of Fight Club because of this, even though it's one of my favourite movies.
Max Barry is the only one where I could stomach it, and I've still put the book down several times.
Note: Short stories or brief segments for narrative purposes...ok.
eviladam:
:D Fight Club! I knew I'd read an entire book in present tense. That said, and I never say this, the movie was actually better.
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