forum Past or present tense?

Started February 26, 2018 by @p3ncil

tune

My character goes through drastic character development, so present tense really shows how her narrating changes, but at the same time, there are are several moments that make a lot more sense being viewed past tense…

You could probably be shifting through both past and present, but not too soon (one right after the other) or too quick of a change. It kind of depends on the way you write, on the tense you use while writing the words, obviously. You could, to differentiate them, use regular writing for one, but italics for the other, you know? Or two different fonts. Just try and make sure it is not so confusing.

I would probably use the font technique, but do each in chapters. For example, I'd give 2 or three chapters for present tense, then 1 or 2 for past. OR, you could use mix them up in the same chapter, such as (I'll use a hypothetical example, also, sorry if it's bad…):

(Overview: Random person, Jim walks by two kids playing with a ball. He then gets a "flashback" of his not-so-great father-son relationship. [Literally just came up with this])

(Present, Normal writing, original font)
As I stroll down the street, I look around. People rushing from one place to another. I stumble across two kids playing catch. One throws the ball and the other, distracted by the sound of his mother’s call, fails to catch. The ball lands and bounces directly at my feet, which I use to stop the motion of the spherical object. I bend over to pick up the soccer ball, holding it gently as I walk towards the kid who missed the catch.
“Thank you, sir!” says the kid, eager to get his toy back.
“Heh, no problem kiddo,” I reply. I hand over the ball and watch him run back to his friend. They walk towards their mother and begin to leave.
—–
(Past, Italic, diff. Font)
“Can we go play catch now, dad?” I ask, most impatiently as father continues to type on his computer, not even glancing towards my direction.
“Uh, sure, go ask your mother,” he says, still concentrating on his computer.
“But–”
“Not now, Jim.”
“Fine, you never want to, anyways,” I mutter as I leave the room.
—–
Anyways, those are just tips you can use. Hope this helps! DM me on how it goes, if you want to :)

well, I would add a few quick thoughts to this, if I may.
First of all, it's important to choose a tense that suits your POV. If you're going to use 3rd person, whether omniscient or limited, it's best to stick with past tense. If you were really dedicated and willing to push the boundaries, you could try a present-tense 3rd, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. But with 1st person, you can pick either present or past tense and pull it off really well.
Second, it's generally best to stay in the same tense. You can make brief exceptions to this rule, such as a short flashback, but overall you wanna keep your tense consistent.
Hope this helps any!

Yeah, you're totally right!

Kind of going off of @Monoceros 's point, another way to pull off switching between tenses could be to have a portion of your story told through an alternative method of narration, like a series of letters, or journals.