Why do some authors use present tense narration?

[skillet]

Tbh I think present tense and past tense plays a big role in setting the tone for your story, too. The jarring-ness of present tense is also what makes present tense so enticing sometimes-- it can give your words a more gritty quality (?) and introduce a kind of surreal sense of being (?) that can make (or break) your story. I think of it as a similar choice to choosing to speak in first or third person perspective.

Using an example from some of the posts above, I feel a huge difference between the following two sentences:
1. "This coffee sucks," I said, frowning. I chucked the whole thing into the bin and sighed.
2. "This coffee sucks," I say, frowning. I chuck the whole thing into the bin and sigh.

(maybe unpopular opinion: there's nothing more to present tense than just changing past to present....)
It might be because present-tense is more associated with second-person perspective, but it just makes the story feel more... real, like you're in the moment more, as some others said above. Eh, might just be me though. I enjoy that when done well, and I've read quite a few that did it well. :D

...I feel like I just re-articulated what everyone above me said

 

[Localforeigner]

I find present tense stories to just feel weird. I don't know if I could make a whole novel written in present tense.

That said, I appreciate that it is simply based on familiarity. I'm sure it probably could work, but I don't know if I would make it through it.

 

[Deleted member 45782]

I have a habit of switching past and present tense back and forth. ?
Consistent tenses, run-off sentences, ellipsis, and being wordy are my writing flaws...
Granted, some scenes are specifically referring in the past, like a flashback, and then it goes back to regular present situation characters may be in.

 

[WasatchWind]

In my time writing online, I've often been asked by people to review their work. When I have however, among other things like formatting issues that usually make this difficult, one of the worst to me is present tense writing. While there aren't a lot of hard and fast things that should do or do not in writing, there are a lot of things that go against what is collectively considered comfortable.

When I am reading a story that is in present tense, I find it extremely hard to focus, because my mind is trying to convert what I'm reading into past tense.

I wonder, like so many things in the modern online writing world, why present tense writing is so common.

 

[Ruyi]

I like past tense when I'm writing out multi-chaptered, but I prefer present tense for one-shots and drabble-styled shorts--tales where I have less room to dwell on "what happened" and more urgency to figure out "what happens next."

I appreciate the immediacy present tense provides as well as the subtle momentum it encourages to move the reader forward. You have action, action, action, and BAM! Ending.

It hits in real time if you phrase things right.

 

[Deleted member 45782]

Its easier. And there are somethings done in past before current action. Some things feel more natural or comfortable writing in past tense. I tried to write in present tense for a short story assignment. Gave up bc timing - just went to put it all in past tense. Finished in about 3 hours, present tense would have taken me longer.

 

[HappyVainGlory]

Why do people do this... It might just be my own preferences, but it bugs me. Most books and novels that I read use past tense, like using "I said" instead of "I say" or "I asked" instead of "I ask".

The others have already answered it pretty well, but for some people it just comes more natural. We're used to talking in present tense, so people just stick to it when writing.

For me personally, I don't mind it. As others have pointed out, there's certainly benefits to using it. However, it's hard to do it well, and it's often the case that past-tense can do the equivalent job when presenting an unfolding scene.

For example, borrowing a bit from a post a while back about coffee.

Present tense

I sigh and place down my cup. "This coffee sucks." Looking up at the waitress, I frown and say, "Do you always serve subpar drinks to your customers?"

"M-My apologies, Sir!" The waitress looks like she's about to cry, quivering in her shoes. "I-It's my first day here!"

"Oh." I shake my head. "In that case, I guess I can forgive it. But damn, what a waste."

Past tense

I sighed and placed down my cup. "This coffee sucks." Looking up at the waitress, I frowned and said, "Do you always serve subpar drinks to your customers?"

"M-My apologies, Sir!" The waitress looked like she was about to cry, quivering in her shoes. "I-It's my first day here!"

"Oh." I shook my head. "In that case, I guess I can forgive it. But damn, what a waste."

The only difference between the two are the tenses of the actions, but the dialogue and overall events are the exact same.

If you really wanted to, it'd be possible to structure your writing in a way where the tense doesn't really matter. After all, dialogue is inherently present-tense, and if your story relies on that, the change wouldn't be too noticeable.

That's not to say present-tense is useless or doesn't have its merit. If done well, it's possible for the reader to become the character and experience the same events.

Compare:

Present tense

She's dying. Her body's running cold as crimson blood pours from her wounds.

"No." I whisper and pull her close. "No! You can't leave me! Not like this!"

"I'm... sorry." She's smiling, but her bright eyes are fading, the color washing away along with her tears.

Past tense

She was dying. Her body was running cold as crimson blood poured from her wounds.

"No." I whispered and pulled her close. "No! You can't leave me! Not like this!"

"I'm... sorry." She was smiling, but her bright eyes were fading, the color washing away along with her tears.

Again, the only real changes between the two are the tenses. But, and this might be just my personal opinion, the present tense hits just a bit harder since it's happening in the moment whereas the past tense is a step removed, so it hits a bit softer.

It's possible to restructure the past tense to give an equivalent dramatic effect, but as you can see, it would also mean changing the actions and descriptions to something more suited to past tense.

tl;dr - Tenses are a tool and proper usage depends on the writer. There's no one definitively better tense, and the difference is largely based on utilization and the desired effect.

This has been unsolicited writing advice from your local happy and vain writer.

 

[Spica66]

For present tense in first person narrative it allows the protagonist to express more colors. It sounds more natural when their thoughts are in present time.

Third person? I don't know what they're thinking. I can't give an opinion.

 

[CadmarLegend]

Why do people do this... It might just be my own preferences, but it bugs me. Most books and novels that I read use past tense, like using "I said" instead of "I say" or "I asked" instead of "I ask".

I just interchange between them.