Two things struck me about the five scenes Nathan selected.
Four out of five were in first person. I can see how this increased the immediacy of the action. "I" am the one running. The one time I tried to write in first I just couldn't get comfortable with it. Of course, I now think it was wrong for that story, so, maybe I could get comfortable with it in another story. I may have to give it another try, at least. Maybe MAGE STORM, if I turn that into a novel. Or maybe I should try it in a short story, first.
Three out of five were also in the present tense, which bothers me. That strikes me as being difficult if not impossible to sustain through a novel. And probably hard to read at novel length. Of course, that wasn't one of the requirements of the contest.
posted
I have noticed first person present tense is a bit more popular in young adult fiction. I read a young adult novel recently that was present tense (third) and my mom asked what I thought. I said I had a really hard time getting into it because of the tense whereas she (who LOVES young adult fiction) didn't even notice. Hunger Games (which I have not yet read) is first person present and was super popular so that explain why that tense is popping up more lately.
Posts: 232 | Registered: Apr 2010
| IP: Logged |
posted
I've read first person past tense that worked fine. I'm in the middle of one of the Sookie Stackhouse books (Charlaine Harris) right now and Patricia Briggs' story MOON CALLED was first person past tense. I haven't been very successful writing that way, but I'm willing to try again. In fact, I'm thinking that that story start that kind of faltered might work in first person.
I just can't picture reading a novel-length story in present tense. Maybe a flash. I'm not even sure YA is short and fast moving enough to get away with it. I would think it would get confusing and possibly tiring to read.
posted
Michael Chabon's _They Yiddish Policemen's Union_ is also present tense, though third person. Maybe the fact that it won the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards contributed to the recent trend toward present tense in long fiction.
Neal Shusterman's _Unwind_ is another present-tense, third person example of novel length YA story that worked for me.
_The Hunger Games_ really is a great illustration that a first person, present tense POV can carry a novel (for me, at least).
I found present tense distracting at first, but I guess I've read enough of it now I don't find it as strange as I used to in a novel.
posted
David Louis Edelman's Jump 225 trilogy flips between present and past tense depending on who is the protagonist of the chapter is. I didn't notice it until the 3rd book (or at least I don't remember noticing it until then) and I suspect if I reread the series I might just find that the switches actually relate to more than just the protagonist but the programs the protagonist is using.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
