What story tense do you prefer: Past or Present?

What story tense do you prefer: Past or Present?

  • Past

    Votes: 23 48.9%

  • Present

    Votes: 9 19.1%

  • Mix

    Votes: 6 12.8%

  • Future

    Votes: 2 4.3%

  • Doesn’t matter

    Votes: 7 14.9%
  • Total voters
    47
Hans.Trondheim

Hans.Trondheim

Low energy is king!
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Zinless said:
Many native English speakers grew up being told stories, that's why past tense feels more familiar/correct to them. (I remember someone saying this in another thread, but I couldn't find it, so I just wrote what I remember.) It's the most common way to write stories in English, and generally ain't a bad option. But, it's not the only way to write.

Present Tense is not a wrong way to write, it's a style like any other. Many Japanese Light Novels use present tense, but they often get translated into Past Tense once localized into English. Present Tense could also immerse readers in ways Past Tense couldn't by making the readers feel like they're in that world right then and there.

Future Tense writing is... uhh... You shouldn't write an entire story with this. Maybe use it to write lore, philosophical questions, prophecies, etc. But if you're using this to write an entire novel... You're a monster. A genius sure, but still a monster.
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It's actually from our Discord's writing channel, and I know this because I'm the one who said that, drawing from other authors' observations and tutorials.

That said, default English storytelling tense is past tense, for readers take the story as something that has already happened, as opposed to something that is ongoing.

However, with the popularity of pop literature, present tense is also used. Depending on the author's style, and the type of story he/she is working on, it can make or break a story. To some readers, it can be jarring to read, though, for previously mentioned reasons.

There are, of course, exceptions. Dialogues and inner thoughts are always written in present tense as long as they are talking about something that is happening at that moment (when the event occured). This is evident in many JP-inspired OELNs, which are dialogue heavy compared to Western OELNs.
 
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