Present Tense and Writing Style

Use this forum to discuss the February 2020 Book of the month, "Opaque" by Calix Leigh-Reign
OJ Duogo
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Re: Present Tense and Writing Style

Post by OJ Duogo »

Mixing of past and present tense bothered me a little as I am not an English native speaker.
HusseinJ
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Post by HusseinJ »

I personally was not bothered by the mixing of the tenses. In my view it brought out a twisting feeling of the language while reading. This made it interesting.
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Wordlessly
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Post by Wordlessly »

I realise that it's a matter of personal preference but I find books written in present tense extremely difficult to read. Additionally, I don't think the mixing of tenses helped the flow of this story as I already found it quite choppy.
Barbara Larkin
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Post by Barbara Larkin »

I don't mind a story being told in the present tense. If the author feels that's the best way to relay their story, it's up to them. I do dislike when the tenses are mixed up, however. If it's done to accommodate a flashback or some other such story element then sure, why not?
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VivianLove
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Post by VivianLove »

For me reading in the present tense takes a bit to get used to, especially in a novel. But I think it's more poetic than the past tense!
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sarahmarie181
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Post by sarahmarie181 »

I find mixed tense done well, lends something a little more of intrigue to a book, it has to flow though. Mixed tense poorly done can jar and interrupt the enjoyment of the narrative.
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Sally_Heart
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Post by Sally_Heart »

Mixing of tenses can be an art if you know how to do it well. Though I do find it jarring to read a book in first tense.
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Post by banevius »

I didn't think anything of it. I thought everything flowed smoothly. It was a bit different because, as someone already mentioned, many stories are written in past tense. But I thought the present tense was fine here, so long as the reader doesn't get too hung up on that aspect.
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Post by Samuel Okoye 2 »

I honestly didn't find the authors writing style and tenses incongruous at all. I guess it's because I've read other books written in a similar way.
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