5 replies to this topic

[thealtruismsociety]

So the last Wheel of Time book has been out a bit, so I'm doing what I always do--re-reading from book one. I always liked this series but as Im re adding after doing some writing myself, it seems much more ... I don't know, tedious to read now. It his constant use of past tense in description and present tense in dialogue. It's throwing me, the past tense just seems off for a story. Maybe it's use is because this is an epic fantasy tale and he wants it to read like history but ... I just don't know, it's harder to read than before. What's everyone's thoughts on novels written in past tense?

Edit: Steve can you change teen to tense on the subject line, I cannot.

[Thoth]

thealtruismsociety, on 17 June 2011 - 04:51 PM, said:

So the last Wheel of Time book has been out a bit, so I'm doing what I always do--re-reading from book one. I always liked this series but as Im re adding after doing some writing myself, it seems much more ... I don't know, tedious to read now. It his constant use of past tense in description and present tense in dialogue. It's throwing me, the past tense just seems off for a story. Maybe it's use is because this is an epic fantasy tale and he wants it to read like history but ... I just don't know, it's harder to read than before. What's everyone's thoughts on novels written in past tense?

Edit: Steve can you change teen to tense on the subject line, I cannot.

Maybe the guy just made a mistake. Nobody's perfect (see title of thread, until Steve fixes it).

But, as a guiding principle, if a writer's use of tense distracts from the story (e.g., using past tense to describe present events) then it's probably a mistake and this guy just isn't your kind of writer anymore. (Pity.)

Many years ago (when I was a past teen) I read through the Raven series. The first page or so of each chapter was written in past tense: an old man is telling stories about an ancient heroine who fought kings and monsters and founded their kingdom, saving the world from the clutches of both Heaven and Hell (turns out she liked neither alternative. Interesting twist.). The rest of the chapter was written in present tense, as we follow the heroine around. In these books the mixture worked, at least for me.

-Thoth.

[Marguerite]

I actually find present tense distracting, most of the time, if it's used for exposition rather than for dialogue. I think I instinctively expect a story to be told after it's happened, rather than while it's happening. But it's true that I also approach books I once loved with a more critical eye now that I'm writing myself—or sometimes a more appreciative eye, if the author has done a good job of blending backstory into the present or characterizing with details.

Not to get inside your head, but are you sure it's the present/past dichotomy that's making the book seem to drag? Rather than, say, too many flashbacks or clunky descriptions or flat characters? (I haven't read the series you're talking about, so these are general questions.)

It'd be interesting if that is the problem. Third-person past tense is still listed as the most common, although certainly not the only, means of telling a story. Could the influence of Facebook and Twitter be changing our expectations?
Best,
M

[thealtruismsociety]

Maybe it' s because everything I've written so far is in first person and/or present tense. Perhaps I should write a short story in last tense, see how it feels.

[Thoth]

thealtruismsociety, on 18 June 2011 - 06:29 PM, said:

Maybe it' s because everything I've written so far is in first person and/or present tense. Perhaps I should write a short story in last tense, see how it feels.

TAS, I find it usually good to experiment.

M, I think Twitter is killing the art of writing in America. I keep expecting to find a book written in highly abbreviated, 140-character paragraphs. (My brother is always complaining about the indecipherable e-mails he receives. E.g., "vaca n mi" ≠ "Are you vacationing in Miami?") Am I getting old or are kids just getting dumber?

Get off my lawn, you meddling kids!
-Thoth

[thealtruismsociety]

Thoth, on 18 June 2011 - 10:45 PM, said:

TAS, I find it usually good to experiment.

M, I think Twitter is killing the art of writing in America. I keep expecting to find a book written in highly abbreviated, 140-character paragraphs. (My brother is always complaining about the indecipherable e-mails he receives. E.g., "vaca n mi" ≠ "Are you vacationing in Miami?") Am I getting old or are kids just getting dumber?

Get off my lawn, you meddling kids!
-Thoth

Hmm Twilight was too, I agree Thoth, think I'm going to try something in 3rd person Past. What's crazy to me is the dialogue is present. I just can't see using it for science fiction or a story that takes place in the future.