Present Tense and Writing Style

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

Post by siusantos »

This post made me stop and think about the books I've read. And hard as I try, I can't think of one. Is using both present and past tense in a story possible? And is this really a writing style? I have to research on that. But I think it would be too awkward to read and enjoy. I can just imagine myself trying to correct the tenses as I read.
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Post by Aubrey Lewis »

Mixing tenses is fine as long as the past-tense forms used were referring to past events. I usually don't mind present tense writing styles as long as the book draws me in, but I do agree that it can be quite awkward at times since I'm more used to past-tense styles.
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Post by KimberlyS88 »

I prefer the present tense because it feels like everything is happening now.
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Post by Elmaestro »

The mixing of tenses is good for me.. It exposes us readers to a unique way of writing styles plus it removes boredom of the book.
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Post by Queenyx »

I am not so inclined to the type of tense used while reading a wonderful book. However, if the grammar structure or story line is off, I definitely will notice these types of tenses and judge them critically.
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Post by leximutia »

While the present tense in the book initially did stick out to me, I became accustomed to it pretty quickly, and it did not interrupt immersion of the story for me. Even the mixing of tenses did not feel awkward. I suppose the majority of readers, including me, are used to past tense in fiction books, but Calix Leigh-Reign incorporated the present tense fairly well.
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Post by JohnKasha »

Mixing of the tenses was good for me because it helps explain the story in a more engaging way for the reader thus making it enjoyable all through.
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Post by tjportugal »

AlexisLib wrote: 05 Mar 2020, 16:32 What did you think about the use of the present tense? I know people who won't read books written in the present tense because they just don't like it, they find it jarring. I sometimes find it jarring but have also gotten used to it, having read books written that way a number of times. I actually found this to add to the uncomfortableness of reading the book in the beginning; it kind of poked at me as I experienced what Adam was doing, then I got mostly used to it.

The author also sometimes mixes the present tense with past tense, even in the same sentence. I am a writer and have been in many critique groups and this mixing of tense would be considered a big no no. So I wondered as I read it whether this was intentional or not. It made me wonder (along with some other phrases) if English wasn't the author's first language. Was it intentional and poetic, or sloppy writing?

Excessive use of present tense can be counterproductive and alienate the reader instead of bringing him into the narrative. Code Name: Dodger, Operation Rubber Soul, by Eric Auxier is a fine example of first person narrative and use of verbs in different forms of present and past. Opaque seems fairly ok regarding this element.
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Post by TheNeouReader »

As long the writing is clear to read and understand, it shouldn't matter if the tenses are mixed. In Opaque, it did get confusing more so in the first half of the book every now and then, with the tense changes. Overall, I wasn't super bothered by it. I was more so confused by the third person narrative because I thought it was singular but veers into omniscient kind of suddenly.
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Post by AlexisLib »

tjportugal wrote: 09 Apr 2020, 08:54 Excessive use of present tense can be counterproductive and alienate the reader instead of bringing him into the narrative. Code Name: Dodger, Operation Rubber Soul, by Eric Auxier is a fine example of first person narrative and use of verbs in different forms of present and past. Opaque seems fairly ok regarding this element.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll take a look at it.
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Post by danielleamy »

I don't mind the present tense, although I haven't come across it very often. It can take some getting used to and it really depends on the author and how well it is executed
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Post by Marty_Kelly »

LinaMueller wrote: 10 Mar 2020, 13:01 It depend on the book and the author. I'm not narrow minded in this respect.
My thoughts too. As long as the narration still flows normal, I'm cool with it.
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Post by Just_jay »

I was also taught English in this manner.However,I believe that it depends on the author.
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Post by Standor5865 »

I just think that mixing tenses demands that the readers are more focused with their reading so as to fully grasp the story. If anything, I believe it encourages cognitive thinking.
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Post by Joshuaomollo »

Quite interesting. I'm curious to know how the author went about the present tense issue,I personally don't find its use appalling but hopefully they did okay.
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