Present tense v Past tense: it's making me tense
I'm two pages into my third story, "Working Title: Arranged" and there's a scene where Drake is talking to his dad. As I'm writing, the characters are saying things, but I haven't used the word said once.
A little back story, as a writer and a reader, I hate seeing the same word over and over and over and over.. (do you see what I did there?) Because I am attuned to this, especially when grading my own student's work. So, when I started writing dialogue I was alarmed at how many times I used the word said.
I did a bit a research into my dilemma, I think I was in high school at the time and I found something along that lines of: use said instead of synonyms- it's tried and true for a reason. I've attributed this idea to Stephen King's On Writing, but I'm not 100% sure that's where I read that bit of advice.
Anyway, as I'm writing "Working Title: Arranged" I realized I've used says and not said. Then, holy cow, I realize I'm writing in figging PRESENT TENSE. Why didn't I notice? It seemed so natural. I checked back to "Working Title: First Love Story" and that's in past tense. What happened to me, and why can't I figure out how to write in past tense again? Then it hit me. For the past few days, I've been reading The Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy. So I pull up the series on my kindle and start to check it out and it's present tense!
I guess it's true that you mimic what you've been reading- I just had no idea it would have such a huge impact on me. For reference the below is an excerpt from The Score. Hopefully it high lights the present tense situation I found myself in.
“I’m adorable, first off. My sense of humor is stellar—obvs.”
“Obvs,” she echoes dryly.
“I’m extraordinarily skilled in the art of conversation.”
She nods. “When it’s about yourself, of course.”
“Of course.” I pretend to think it over some more. “Oh, and I’m a mind reader. No lie. I always know what the other person is thinking.”
“Yeah? What am I thinking right now?” Allie challenges.
“That you want me to shut up and fuck you again.”
She shakes her head in dismay. “Goddamn it. That’s actually what I was thinking.”
I smirk at her and tap my forehead. “Told ya. Mind reader.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score
For contrast, here's a quote from Foreplay, by Sophie Jordan which was written in past tense.
“His blue eyes drilled into me. “Why are you doing this?”
I shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t know.”
He shook his head once like that wasn’t good enough. “Why are you here?”
His fingers shifted, the tips sending hot little sparks up my arm. He should look ridiculous with the blue washcloth covering half his face, but he didn’t. He looked human and male and all too vulnerable right then.
“Because you need someone.”
― Sophie Jordan, Foreplay
I switched "Working Title: Arranged" back to past tense. It's more comfortable for me to write. I am interested in switching it up in the future, but for now I'll stick to what I know. I think the most damaging thing would be to switch tenses during a collection of work.
Past tense it is, or was...
What's your preferred tense?
A little back story, as a writer and a reader, I hate seeing the same word over and over and over and over.. (do you see what I did there?) Because I am attuned to this, especially when grading my own student's work. So, when I started writing dialogue I was alarmed at how many times I used the word said.
I did a bit a research into my dilemma, I think I was in high school at the time and I found something along that lines of: use said instead of synonyms- it's tried and true for a reason. I've attributed this idea to Stephen King's On Writing, but I'm not 100% sure that's where I read that bit of advice.
Anyway, as I'm writing "Working Title: Arranged" I realized I've used says and not said. Then, holy cow, I realize I'm writing in figging PRESENT TENSE. Why didn't I notice? It seemed so natural. I checked back to "Working Title: First Love Story" and that's in past tense. What happened to me, and why can't I figure out how to write in past tense again? Then it hit me. For the past few days, I've been reading The Off Campus Series by Elle Kennedy. So I pull up the series on my kindle and start to check it out and it's present tense!
I guess it's true that you mimic what you've been reading- I just had no idea it would have such a huge impact on me. For reference the below is an excerpt from The Score. Hopefully it high lights the present tense situation I found myself in.
“I’m adorable, first off. My sense of humor is stellar—obvs.”
“Obvs,” she echoes dryly.
“I’m extraordinarily skilled in the art of conversation.”
She nods. “When it’s about yourself, of course.”
“Of course.” I pretend to think it over some more. “Oh, and I’m a mind reader. No lie. I always know what the other person is thinking.”
“Yeah? What am I thinking right now?” Allie challenges.
“That you want me to shut up and fuck you again.”
She shakes her head in dismay. “Goddamn it. That’s actually what I was thinking.”
I smirk at her and tap my forehead. “Told ya. Mind reader.”
― Elle Kennedy, The Score
For contrast, here's a quote from Foreplay, by Sophie Jordan which was written in past tense.
“His blue eyes drilled into me. “Why are you doing this?”
I shrugged uncomfortably. “I don’t know.”
He shook his head once like that wasn’t good enough. “Why are you here?”
His fingers shifted, the tips sending hot little sparks up my arm. He should look ridiculous with the blue washcloth covering half his face, but he didn’t. He looked human and male and all too vulnerable right then.
“Because you need someone.”
― Sophie Jordan, Foreplay
I switched "Working Title: Arranged" back to past tense. It's more comfortable for me to write. I am interested in switching it up in the future, but for now I'll stick to what I know. I think the most damaging thing would be to switch tenses during a collection of work.
Past tense it is, or was...
What's your preferred tense?
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