(So don’t feel pressured to write in present tense if you’re already comfortable in deep POV.)Īlso keep in mind that many readers say they dislike present tense, especially as writers often struggle to get present tense right. That makes it hard to say how many of those advantages above are actually due to the tense or just a benefit of the deep POV. What choices do we have for the verb tense to use in our stories? Click To TweetPresent tense tends to work better with deep point of view stories, as the character gives a play-by-play of their experiences. Some also think present tense can make a story feel more like a movie. For example, Hunger Games uses present tense, which many readers said made the story feel more immediate or emotional. Some stories, particularly in certain genres, use present tense for the narrative (and simple past for earlier events like backstory). But it’s also not the only tense we can use for our story’s narrative. ![]() Past tense is so normal that it’s “invisible” to readers-not calling attention to itself-so readers focus only on the story. Past tense feels normal to us, so it’s easy for us to get it right. Think of how we answer questions like “How was your day?” or “How was the movie?” In addition, we all use past tense every day as we share our personal stories. We’ve all seen past-tense storytelling our whole life, so it’s the easiest tense for us to use correctly. How each of the 12 tenses are used and what they’re each meant to explain or indicate What about the Exceptions to the Default?Īs I mentioned above, the “default” tense for storytelling is past tense. For more about the other tenses, check out these charts from this grammar lesson. The English language actually has 12 tenses, but the three tenses above cover the majority of our writing needs for most stories. She had eaten all the snacks in the house already. Backstory (events that occurred before the story present) is written in past perfect tense:.“I need some chocolate to get me through this day. Dialogue (including direct internal dialogue) is written in present tense:.In these days of social distancing, she didn’t want to take any chances. The narrative of most stories is written in past tense:.The default tense choices for storytelling are: *smile* What does literary past tense mean, and how is it different from normal past tense? Past Tense: The Default for StorytellingĪs writers, we should all be familiar with the basics of verb tenses. Huh.Īlrighty then! Let’s dig into the term. Surprised that her search didn’t reveal anything, I did several searches as well to try to point her to a good resource. My mention of “literary past tense” prompted Anne Kaelber to ask for more information, especially as her Google search didn’t result in easy answers. That means for a direct quote, the verb tense would change to present tense. What verb tense do we want to use? Although some authors like to write in present tense, most stories are still written in literary past tense.Note that wasn't/weren't able to is more formal than couldn't, while didn't manage to emphasises that the thing was difficult to do.ĭo this exercise to test your grammar again.Last time, I shared that one of the questions we can ask ourselves to determine when we should italicize our characters’ thoughts was: They worked on it for months but they didn't manage to find a solution. She couldn't watch the match because she was working. The speaker wasn't able to attend the conference due to illness. When we talk about a specific occasion when someone didn't have the ability to do something, we can use wasn't/weren't able to, didn't manage to or couldn't. The burglar managed to get in through the bathroom window even though it was locked.Ĭould is not usually correct when we're talking about ability at a specific moment in the past. The burglar was able to get in through the bathroom window. When we talk about achieving something on a specific occasion in the past, we use was/were able to (= had the ability to) and managed to (= succeeded in doing something difficult). When I lived next to the pool, I could go swimming every day. I couldn't cook until I went to university. She could paint before she started school. We usually use could or couldn't to talk about general abilities in the past. The bird managed to escape from its cage and fly away. ![]() The police weren't able to catch the speeding car. ![]() I could play the guitar when I was seven years old. Look at these examples to see how could, was able to and managed to are used.
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