StoryCraft Novel Challenge Day 22: Which tense makes the most sense for your novel?
Just like perspective, tense is a critical element to every word in our prose, and having the wrong tense can mean a lot of work rewriting the novel to match. You might not have experimented with tense before writing a novel, but we’ve found as part of the StoryCraft process, it helps to fine tune the exact reader experience you’re looking to provide.
Tense is the mode of action of our prose. It can either be present-tense, which is current and in the action, or past-tense, which is relaying a story that has already happened.
Present-tense works really well for fast-paced stories with immediate stakes. Thrillers can be made so much more heart-thumping when the reader is right in the middle of the action and anything can happen. It’s also a great tense for contemporary romance.
Past-tense places a bit of time in between the action and the telling of the tale. While it can remove the immediacy of the stakes, it also allows for a bit more exploration, as we aren’t barrelling through the action. Past-tense is common in every genre, so it’s generally a safe bet that readers will connect with it.
You can even mix tenses if you have multiple POV characters in different timelines, it’s just important to remember which timeline you’re in.
Similar to perspective, you’ll want to make your choice based on the reader experience and also what feels right to you when you’re writing. Try a few different openings in both present-tense and past-tense and get a feel for what is natural to you. If you find you’re switching to one or another on a regular basis, that might be a sign that you should be writing in that tense.
This is just one of the exercises we have in the StoryCraft Workbook, which features over 100 pages of amazing exercises to help find the best version of your novel.
Don’t worry about getting it perfect if the right answer isn’t coming to you. While it’s easier to choose a tense and stick to it, it’s not uncommon to have to go back and make the change. Every writer has done it, so you’ll be in good company.
Share your progress and connect with other writers using hashtag #StoryCraftNovelChallenge. Tomorrow we’ll be talking about the overall pacing of our prose.
Happy Writing,
Jess and Theo