Present tense

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I'm hearing the voices again....

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As a newcomer to Litopia I'm advised to join in discussions. I can't find any recent topics which I want to comment on, so I'm going to pitch in at the deep end with something I would very much like to get some reaction to: the use of the present tense in fiction. The so-called 'historic present' can be very irritating to some, and there are occasions when I dislike it - particularly in TV history documentaries where it is supposed to lend veracity to something which took place hundreds of years ago.
My current project was the result of a desperate search to find a way back into writing. I had done a co-publication on an over-ambitious project which, despite the importance of its theme - the future of our children - caused barely a ripple on the lake of public indifference. I'd begun a second book, but was so disillusioned with the whole process that any attempt to work on it made me horribly tense.
I eventually got past that by, as an exercise, writing about myself in the third person. I then realised that I could use this character, who by then was scarcely recognisable as me, as the main character in what I was determined would be a commercial thriller. As it developed I found I was using the present tense quite naturally. It seems to add a certain detachment to the narrative. I then consciously decided to use the present for the ongoing story - for things that were happening in the present - and the past for those which took place in the past. It sounds logical doesn't it, but the past is the norm, and aspiring authors are advised to avoid anything experimental.
Of the people who have read my sample chapters only one found this irritating, and I think most readers do not really notice the change of tense as long as it is consistent. Since starting this I've noticed several modern writers using it - Margaret Atwood for example in "The Heart Goes Last".
What do the members of Litopia think: an unnecessary irritation or a useful way of creating a sense of immediacy?
 
It depends. As someone who reads and writes primarily thrillers, I can say you rarely see thrillers in the present tense. Me personally, I'm not a fan of present tense. I just don't like to read it. However, if it works for your story, use it. When you are making the decision, keep in mind your genre and keep in mind that sister-genres are not good indicators (in other words, look at thrillers specifically, not suspense or mystery).

EDIT: I should qualify this with, most of the time, present tense hasn't stopped me from reading a book if it's a good enough story and well-written.
 
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I must say I like your logic. Never read anything like that. I'm not sure if it would be irritating or not noticable but if it adds quality and relevance to your work then definitely keep this method.
 
My 2p worth is as follows:
1. The great problem -- and potential -- of writing is that pretty much everything seems to be subjective. There are few clear-cut 'right or wrong' answers, & what works for one will drive another to despair. In the end, if it feels right to you, and if your beta readers like it, I'd go with it.
2. I personally am a great fan of the present tense. Used well, it brings immediacy to the story -- as a reader I feel closer to the characters and action, and as a writer, for some stories [not all] it just feels very right and natural. Some great, great works have been written partially or completely in the present tense. If it's good enough for them, etc. A recent example is 'Cloud Atlas', by David Mitchell - and the part of the book where he teases us by switching to thriller mode is indeed in the present tense. If you haven't read Cloud Atlas yet, I highly recommend it -- though the breathtaking range of Mitchell's expertise as a writer may be somewhat disheartening for those of us who are only mortal...
 
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I agree with Marc. Present tense can be right for some stories. I wrote a novel in present tense once because it just felt like the right thing for that story. The novel was crap, but not because of the tense. It was a good 'practice' novel, at least.
 
Thanks for your replies. It's important to get a handle on this because the more of the book I write, the more daunting it would be to change the tense. I'm encouraged enough to continue - up to 22000 words so far.
 
I can find I need to overcome a reluctance to get into a novel starting in the present tense. I was browsing on Amazon, 'genre research', looked inside a recently released novel, The Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin, read the first line and felt, what, ennui? A distance, actually. I didn't 'buy' the boy's 'voice.'

But this was just the appetizer, and the book moved almost immediately into the past tense. It still hasn't grabbed me, though I will read it, for market research. My mother bought a copy and has kindly sent it, saying she won't want to read it a second time. It's a patch job of a story, she felt, too thinly stretched over actual case studies in someone's research papers.

I often feel this with present tense writing, and might well get past it. I usually do, when I notice it, but sometimes there CAN be a sense of, well, what? I'm having to think about this. Fatigue at the prospect. Mild claustrophobia, sometimes.

Skill and atmosphere I'd say, are the deal makers or breakers.
 
Sorry to be thick, but when I click on my Inbox I get "start a conversation." I can't see a tab for Private Message, and when I click on your name I get a pop-up box with your details but no message menu.
 
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Litopian Twitterati ...it's a #PitchCB day again today

I'm hearing the voices again....

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