Present Tense Novels

[Margaret]

So - are there any readers out there who actually prefer novels written in the present tense? Or is this something misguided authors are foisting on readers who would all rather be reading past-tense fiction?

[RichardWarrenField]

Yes, I hope this isn't the new "thing" to show how clever writers can be. As I said in a previous post, screenplay narratives are written in the present tense - that is the only place I recall seeing this with any regularity before. As I started WOLF HALL, I wondered if there was a screenplay influence or element to the writing. Of course, I suspect the type of author who would try to be clever this way would despise any comparison between screenplays and his or her work...

Richard Warren Field
http://www.richardwarrenfield.com/
http://www.richardwarrenfield.com/TheSwordsofFaith.htm
THE SWORDS OF FAITH, a unique novel about the "Third Crusade" (Richard the Lionheart and Saladin) that stresses tolerance between the faiths even during a time of great conflict.
Richard Warren Field's blog: http://creativeeccentric.wordpress.com

[Divia]

[quote=""Margaret""]So - are there any readers out there who actually prefer novels written in the present tense? Or is this something misguided authors are foisting on readers who would all rather be reading past-tense fiction?[/quote]

I'm gonna say they are misguided, but it wouldn't be the first time.

[writerinthenorth]

[quote=""Divia""]I'm gonna say they are misguided, but it wouldn't be the first time. [/quote]

Writing in the Present Tense is the subject of my blog today. I argue for its use in some circumstances, with a couple of examples.

Writer in the North

[Margaret]

Personally, as a reader, I don't find present-tense narratives to have any more immediacy than past-tense narratives, all other things being equal. In fact, for me, the present tense tends to act against immediacy, because I am more aware that there is a narrator telling me a story. With past tense, it's easier for me to just dissolve into the point-of-view character and feel that I am experiencing the events of the story myself. That said, I have read enough present-tense fiction by now that I don't always notice it, so it doesn't bother me the way it used to when it was a relatively new tool in the novelist tool box. It seems to me that some writers find it easier to feel a sense of immediacy when they use present tense - perhaps that's enough to justify it. But it does seem especially weird to me to use present tense in a historical novel - by definition, all the characters in it would be dead by now. And if the novel uses the conceit of a narrative written by the point-of-view character, present-tense is especially odd, because nobody goes through life with a notebook in hand writing "I walk into the courtyard and Mary greets me, so I stop to chat with her, and she tells me...." as the events unfold.

[writerinthenorth]

In general I agree with Margaret that present tense writing is not a suitable form for historical fiction, but I would be interested to see some examples where it has worked well, either in particular passages or consistently throughout a novel.

Writer in the North

[Michy]

[quote=""writerinthenorth""]I would be interested to see some examples where it has worked well, either in particular passages or consistently throughout a novel.

[/quote] I think that, whether present tense works well or not, is entirely in the mind of the reader. For me, the only time it works is when there is a sequence in a story where the character is recounting a dream or nightmare -- such passages are usually set apart, such as by use of italics.

Other than that, it feels gimmicky.

[EC2]

I really don't notice much once I sink into a novel. I don't think it makes them more immediate. It does tend to be a conceit of literary novels, but fair enough. I'm just reading one at the moment. It's very strange indeed, but quite readable. Definitely literary. The Brothers Boswell by Philip Baruth.
Bottom line - makes no difference to me.