# Writing in First Person Present Tense



## frenchmannequin (Dec 24, 2013)

Hi there. 
So recently I decided that I wanted to write my story in first person present tense, instead of first person past tense. But I'm having a bit of trouble doing so. Particularly when it comes to writing the MC's thoughts. I know they are acting in the present, but are they thinking the present as well? Does every single verb have to be in the present? I don't know if I sound stupid and if I'm making sense. 
For example. (Random line, btw)
Should first person be like this:
I step out of my car, shut the door and sigh. I hated going to this mall. It was always packed with slow old people and annoying kids. The last time I came I was nearly trampled over by prepubscent creatures, frantic to reach the game store. 
OR
I step out of my car, shut the door and sigh. I hate going to this mall. It is always packed with slow old people and annoying kids. [The last time I came I was nearly trampled over by prepubescent creatures, frantic to reach the game store.]<-- That stays in past tense, because it was in the past right? since it's a memory.


I'm sorry if I come off as an idiot, but i'm really just having a brain fart here.


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## dale (Dec 24, 2013)

the 2nd example fits better. i'd personally leave present tense to the poets and film-makers. it just comes off awkward in prose fiction.


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## bookmasta (Dec 24, 2013)

dale said:


> the 2nd example fits better. i'd personally leave present tense to the poets and film-makers. it just comes off awkward in prose fiction.



This is so true. Unless its from an actual author like Suzanne Collins, who wrote The Hunger Games in said form, it feels like I'm reading a shopping list. But the only way to get better at it is to do it. And if you want to, then that's fine.


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## FleshEater (Dec 24, 2013)

I disagree.

If you like it, write it. There is only one way to get good at it. I wrote that way for the past eight months or so. It becomes very natural after a short while.

Your second example is correct.

Note: trampled over is redundant. Trampled is good enough.


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## Tettsuo (Dec 24, 2013)

I agree with the others, the 2nd is correct.  Since I wrote my entire novel in first person present tense, I also had a tough time early on with when to use past tense.  Once you've gotten the swing of things, it'll start to feel much more natural.

Just a tip: Unless your character is a mind reader, don't have them know how others are feeling or what they're thinking.  This will force you to be more descriptive with your other characters.


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## spartan928 (Dec 24, 2013)

If you haven't already, check out a few books written well in this tense; Fight Club, The Help and Water for Elephants are a couple that come to mind.


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## Deleted member 49710 (Dec 24, 2013)

The second version is correct--the present moment of the narrator should be in present tense (what is happening "now"), what happened before in past, what's going to happen in future. Just like if you were walking around saying what's happening to you all the time.

If it reads awkward or like a grocery list, that's a sign it's not being done well. It might help to vary sentence structure more (don't start every sentence with "I", for example), see if you can cut some thought/perception attributions (I think, I see, I hear, etc. are often unnecessary in 1st person narration), see if you can do more with the character's voice. 

Personally I wouldn't knock any voice or tense--if it's appropriate to the story and the writer can pull it off, then it's good.


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## Jeko (Dec 24, 2013)

The purpose of 1st-person present tense is usually to have the narrator retell events as if they're directly re-experiencing them for the reader. The 2nd example is correct, though might work better if you get rid of the 'I hate' bit - it makes the narrator switch from telling you their experiences to telling you _about _their experiences; the focus shifts to them. To achieve the potential of first-person present tense, IMO, you have to stay in the moment more than you do for retrospective narration - there's less room for the narrator to maneuver, because they're in the events. 

Also, 'brain fart' is my new favourite thing in the world.


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## frenchmannequin (Dec 24, 2013)

Thank you, all your advice was really helpful. I think I'll proceed writing in present tense.


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## Morkonan (Dec 24, 2013)

frenchmannequin said:


> Hi there.
> So recently I decided that I wanted to write my story in first person present tense, instead of first person past tense. But I'm having a bit of trouble doing so. ....



And, that is why one doesn't write in first-person, present-tense.

Look, I'm heavily biased against writing in that format. It's terrible and it's horribly limiting. Fledgling writers immediately go for that format because they believe that the mere mechanics that are implied as being present will take care of their shortcomings as a writer. They believe that first-person is the only way to generate intimacy between the Reader and the narrator/protagonist and that present-tense will generate the necessary immediacy and "action" that they feel their writing lacks.

That's a load of hooey... I am not saying that this is what you're doing, I'm just offering up an example of why I hate first-person, present-tense.

Now, look at the problems you're having with this format. It's easy, right? It should be the simplest thing in the world to write in this style. But, factually, it is one of the most difficult and least forgiving forms of writing known. One reason is because we just don't think like this when we're reading something. The act of Reading, itself, may be in that format, but the information being read is already understood to be in past-tense. (One arguable example.)



> ..I step out of my car, shut the door and sigh. I hate going to this mall.  It is always packed with slow old people and annoying kids. [The last  time I came I was nearly trampled over by prepubescent creatures,  frantic to reach the game store.]..



This is fine, with the exception of brackets. Brackets aren't used for internal dialogue or introspection. It is permissible in some forms of fiction to use parentheses, but I would caution you, there, and advise you to drop the extra punctuation here, altogether.


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## Jeko (Dec 24, 2013)

> It's terrible and it's horribly limiting.



I understand you have reservations against the technique, Morkonan, but it's as valid as any other. Misused often, yes, but valid. Maybe harder to use, but valid. 

Could we please encourage better use of it rather than falsely accusing the perspective of crimes it hasn't committed? Writers get things wrong, not the techniques.


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## FleshEater (Dec 24, 2013)

Chuck Palahniuk has written many novels in first person present tense. The format is only as limiting as the author allows it. Personally, I found it limiting when tackling my novel, but that's because it's genuinely a genre driven horror novel. And it just wasn't working. It doesn't mean it couldn't have worked, though.


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## Morkonan (Dec 26, 2013)

Cadence said:


> ...Could we please encourage better use of it rather than falsely accusing the perspective of crimes it hasn't committed?...



NEVAR!



I take things to absurdity only to demonstrate the fullest extent of my distaste as possible, without violating forum rules. 

Here's the problem, as I see it: 

Far too many fledgling writers choose First-Person, Present-Tense, without understanding how to write even the most basic fiction. They're jumping into brain surgery and they don't know how to open a box of bandaids. First-Person, Present-Tense is the most difficult Narration Style to write. (Since nobody but "Choose Your Own Adventure" writers write in Second-Person and those books died a long time ago.)

And, to complicate matters, First-Person, Present-Tense, has become something of a fad these days. It's seeing an undeserved resurgence. In my opinion, it's also attracting undeserved attention to certain fictional works simply because it implies an "edgy" style. Fictional works that are generally not worth reading, otherwise, btw. Further, I'm seeing more of the standard stable of established authors choosing to use that Narration Style in order to gain attention, instead of focusing on writing a compelling or interesting story. These are "pros" that are jumping on the First-Person, Present-Tense "crutch", surfing the fad-wave. I don't blame them, not really. They have to feed their kids and such, so I understand. But, when I read their work and realize that it's crap and a story that was pushed out of an orifice of First-Person, Present-Tense, for the sake of doing so, alone, I get a little... upset.

IF a writer knows what they're doing and if they have a good method prepared to tell a story in First-Person, Present-Tense, then I wouldn't have much of a problem with it. (I wouldn't read it, however, as I detest that narrative style.) However, when a writer has to ask how to solve "tense problems" when writing in that style, it simply serves to illustrate the problem I've described, doesn't it?

(PS - I didn't mention things like Third Person, Future Tense, because they're just not normally used.)


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## frenchmannequin (Dec 26, 2013)

Morkonan said:


> NEVAR!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I do get what you're saying. And I've seen a lot of people do this. But I have no intention on sharing my story given that it's my first time using first person present tense. This is truly for my own knowledge and growth as a writer. I want to be able to prove to myself that i'm able to write in that tense. The only time I would even think to share a story in present tense is if I was I thought I was good enough of a writer to do so. Like you said it is the most difficult Narration Style to write. I'm not in favour present tense, I prefer past tense. I've made myself really comfortable with past tense writing. I simply want to remove myself from that comfort zone.


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## Kuro (Dec 26, 2013)

I'd say there's no reason not to experiment with it. However, if you find it difficult then trying to write a novel or anything like that in first person present-tense is a bit much. You'll just end up losing motivation and never finish.

So I'd suggest starting small by writing some short stories in that perspective. You can try writing something bigger later on if you get good at it and still want to use it.


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## Justin Rocket (Dec 27, 2013)

Morkonan said:


> And, that is why one doesn't write in first-person, present-tense.
> 
> Look, I'm heavily biased against writing in that format. It's terrible and it's horribly limiting. Fledgling writers immediately go for that format because they believe that the mere mechanics that are implied as being present will take care of their shortcomings as a writer. They believe that first-person is the only way to generate intimacy between the Reader and the narrator/protagonist and that present-tense will generate the necessary immediacy and "action" that they feel their writing lacks.
> 
> ...




I find every tense has its pros and cons.
My current story's primary POV is first person, present tense.  Flashbacks in the story are written in first person, past tense.  
There are some things which are difficult to do in first person, present tense, but figuring out how to do them provides enough intellectual challenge that I don't get bored.
An additional challenge I've given myself is to give the primary POV no awareness of his internal state (in other words, the only way the reader knows anything about the primary POV is by the POV's actions and tone of description.  I don't write anything like "I'm happy", "I'm puzzled"  (or even "I grin" unless he can see himself in a mirror) - my primary POV's chronic depression, which he's not even aware of having, has alienated him from his inner reality).


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## Morkonan (Dec 27, 2013)

Justin Rocket said:


> I find every tense has its pros and cons.
> My current story's primary POV is first person, present tense.  Flashbacks in the story are written in first person, past tense.
> There are some things which are difficult to do in first person, present tense, but figuring out how to do them provides enough intellectual challenge that I don't get bored.
> An additional challenge I've given myself is to give the primary POV no awareness of his internal state (in other words, the only way the reader knows anything about the primary POV is by the POV's actions and tone of description.  I don't write anything like "I'm happy", "I'm puzzled"  (or even "I grin" unless he can see himself in a mirror) - my primary POV's chronic depression, which he's not even aware of having, has alienated him from his inner reality).



An interesting twist. I get it. But, see all the hoops you're having to jump through? Nothing neat, orderly and sane, like can be found with third-person, past-tense?


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## Jeko (Dec 28, 2013)

> But, see all the hoops you're having to jump through?



I'd pay to see a guy jump through hoops, though. It's difficult and entertaining, so it's worth doing.


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## Morkonan (Jan 1, 2014)

Cadence said:


> I'd pay to see a guy jump through hoops, though. It's difficult and entertaining, so it's worth doing.



That's a very good point.

Some of the most enjoyable moments I have when reading are when I can say to myself _"Ah, I see what you've done, there. Bravo!"_ In fact, I love those moments. When I see the author revealed and see what they have masterfully done with an element of the story or just a word or three, I get a bit giddy... 

So, it might be that I_ could_ like a First Person, Present Tense story. But, that means I'd have to read one... And I _don't_ like doing that.


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## Staff Deployment (Jan 1, 2014)

Morkonan said:


> neat, orderly and sane



yawn


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## Jeko (Jan 2, 2014)

> But, that means I'd have to read one... And I _don't like doing that._



I used to hate writing by hand - I had rubbish handwriting and it always made my hand hurt because I tried to write so quickly.

I got better at it. 

Likewise, if you become more acquainted with the present tense, you'll find it's a pretty agreeable character in the end.


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## Morkonan (Jan 2, 2014)

Cadence said:


> I used to hate writing by hand - I had rubbish handwriting and it always made my hand hurt because I tried to write so quickly....



I have a confession...

When I was younger, I took up Caligraphy. I sucked at it, but I liked the artistic experience of "doing it." So, I did it quite a bit. (Went through that whole "Tolkienesque" period, ya know.) Anyway, none of it stuck with me. Today, my handwriting is virtually illegible. And, here is my confession - I can't read my own handwriting at times. There have been plenty of times that I returned to a notebook, seeking vital notes for a scene, and haven't been able to read squat... Such a shame. So many beautiful moments of imagination, obliterated by my hand armed with a pen that insisted on torturing paper.

(I can sign my name, legibly, if I take a lot of time at it. Otherwise, it's just one flourished scrawl...)


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