BrainPick Third Person Present Tense?

[Chase Gamwell]

So, I just finished writing a novel in First Person Present tense, and I really like the way it turned out. My next novel is going to be a fantasy story, and I'm toying with the idea of writing it in third person (limited) present tense.

The first chapter is already done and I feel like it works, but I wanted to ask here and see what other people think about this particular tense of writing? Is it TOO out of the ordinary (considering how common third person past tense is)? Will it be too strange for the reader to really get into?

I'd love to hear ideas on this front!

 

[Marc Joan]

It can certainly work v well in short bursts. Can be a bit much for an entire novel, maybe. Could you jump around in time/POV to give the reader a bit of variety with some past tense?

 

[Chase Gamwell]

I haven’t progressed past the first chapter, so it should be easy to knock out a third person past tense edit to see how it reads.

 

[Emily]

Oh, I'd be really interested in having a read of that I'm writing in first person present tense at the moment, which I love.

 

[yanapuma]

Yes I'm writing in first person past but have 2 narrators telling the story ... i find it difficult sometimes switching back and forth ...

 

[Carol Rose]

Hard to say. I never thought I'd enjoy reading first person, present tense until I read The Hunger Games trilogy. When it's done right, it's an awesome read because it's very intimate and immediate. So I'd have to read something well written in third person, present tense to decide whether or not I liked it.

 

[Susan]

I often don't notice a novel is written in the present tense until I'm several chapters in. If it's well written, I can't understand why it would bother anyone. That said, an awful lot of people do say they don't like it.

Plenty of third-person novels are present tense. Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies are examples of how to make it shine. Both are pretty long novels too.

 

[HayleyGF]

I recently edited a YA dystopia in 1st person present tense, and it really worked. I can't offhand think of anything I've read in 3rd person present, but I think it could work too, given the right genre maybe? I feel like it keeps the action/adventure more urgent.

 

[Amber]

I like it. It feels very immediate. I think it's becoming more common.