Should one write a novel in past or present tense?2 answers
2024-10-04 04:16
It depends on the story and your style. Some stories feel more natural in the past tense, while others work better in the present. It's a matter of what suits your narrative best.
Can one write a novel in present tense?Of course! Writing a novel in present tense can add a unique flavor to your story. It brings a heightened sense of tension and makes the reader feel like they're right there with the characters. But you need to be careful with verb forms and tenses to avoid confusion.
Can present tense be used in a past tense fiction?Yes. It could be used to create a sense of timelessness or to draw attention to specific moments. However, it needs to be used sparingly and with a clear purpose to avoid disrupting the overall past tense narrative.
Present Perfect Tense and Past Perfect TenseThe marker of the present perfect tense is already or has already passed, indicating that the action has continued from a certain time in the past until now. For example:
- She had already walked for an hour.
- He had learned a foreign language before.
The marker of the past perfect tense is used to indicate that the action has been completed before a certain time in the past. For example:
He had been learning a foreign language for a year.
- She had been walking for an hour and five minutes.
It should be noted that the past perfect tense is usually used to indicate actions that have been completed before a certain time in the past, while the present perfect tense is used to indicate actions that are currently being done.
Should I write my novel in past or present tense?It's a matter of choice. Past tense can provide a sense of distance and perspective, while present tense can heighten the tension and urgency. You could even experiment with both in different drafts and see which works best for your novel.
the present perfect, the past tenseThe present perfect tense is marked with have/has, and the past tense is marked with had. For example:
- I have finished my homework
- She had gone to the store before she came back home
Note that the present perfect tense and the simple past tense are different in grammar. The present perfect tense focuses on actions that have been completed before a certain point in the past while the simple past tense focuses on actions that have taken place before a certain point in the past.
the present perfect, the past tenseMarks are words used to express the relationship between time, such as past, present, future, etc.
The present perfect tense means that the action started at a certain point in the past and continues until now. The emphasis is on the duration of the action. The simple past tense meant that the action was completed before a certain point in the past, emphasizing the start time of the action.
In novels, it was often necessary to use the present perfect tense and the simple past tense to describe the actions and states of the characters. For example, if a character started doing something at a certain point in time and continued until now, it could be expressed in the present perfect tense, while if a character completed something before a certain point in time in the past, it could be expressed in the simple past tense.
For example:
- He had been busy the whole day until ten o'clock in the evening.
- He had once learned a new skill but had never had the time to practice it.
- Last night, she dreamed that she had gone back in time and changed everything.
In these examples, the markers "always","until","once","but", etc. are used to emphasize the duration and sequence of actions.