A wonderfully thoughtful rebuttal. I'm so grateful for Lisa Libes post. I'm not sure any single substack has caused me to ponder, scribble, discuss, and engage quite so much. I, in fact, wrote a 9,000 word short fiction piece in present tense (set in the 1990s) just for the experiment of it. I have written in present tense many times before, but never with the craft focus I had while writing this one. Good luck with your novel.
Class for hosting this counterpoint. I subscribed to both this sub and Matt’s. Great dialogue that helps writers think more about the “why” in their choices.
You don't really talk about what the present tense does. It creates an eerie feeling of being unmoored. That's appropriate for some stories and not for others. I haven't read American Psycho, but I have seen the movie, and there is a lot of unreliability. The present tense might help with that.
Pick the right tool for the job! The past tense is the default tense of storytelling, for obvious reasons.
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is primarily in present tense, also mixing in some past tense to suggest different modes of thought as the narrator's mental states change. It's an influence on "American Psycho" I think.
I was going to add that present tense works better in first- than third-person, but then I seem to be saying The Hunger Games > Bleak House. So I won't.
I love this back and forth, but I have to say I am still on Lisa's side. I just can not get into a book written in present tense, for all the reasons she outlined in her post. I find I ditch so many books now. I'm too old to keep reading a book I don't enjoy. I want a story that sweeps me away into once upon a time. I also can't stand jargon, too much unnecessary swearing, too much violence and anything that is showing savagery towards anything, especially animals. I went to a book club meeting the other night with women of my age 60+, all avid readers, and we agreed on this. I think the industry is missing out on a HUGE demographic here. If you look at the "bestseller" list, it is filled with books that fit a certain tone and influence. Not my cup of tea.
As with most things in literature, present tense is more about how well a writer writes the work, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rabbit Run, The Fall, As I Lay Dying, Less than Zero, etc.
I usually write past tense, but I'm currently writing a book in present tense, and I reckon it's the best work I've yet done.
I'm not arguing for either side of this - though I do lean toward Liza's position. I'm only here to suggest that with respect to this question, if you haven't already done so, you should check out the stories of Damon Runyon. He was known for, among other things, an extreme, unique and comical fondness for the present tense. One of my favorites is "The Snatching of Bookie Bob" and I highly recommend it! It'll transport you to another world for a few minutes. Shout to my dad (RIP), a no-nonsense lawyer, whose only literary suggestion to me was to read Runyon.
A wonderfully thoughtful rebuttal. I'm so grateful for Lisa Libes post. I'm not sure any single substack has caused me to ponder, scribble, discuss, and engage quite so much. I, in fact, wrote a 9,000 word short fiction piece in present tense (set in the 1990s) just for the experiment of it. I have written in present tense many times before, but never with the craft focus I had while writing this one. Good luck with your novel.
Class for hosting this counterpoint. I subscribed to both this sub and Matt’s. Great dialogue that helps writers think more about the “why” in their choices.
You don't really talk about what the present tense does. It creates an eerie feeling of being unmoored. That's appropriate for some stories and not for others. I haven't read American Psycho, but I have seen the movie, and there is a lot of unreliability. The present tense might help with that.
Pick the right tool for the job! The past tense is the default tense of storytelling, for obvious reasons.
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is primarily in present tense, also mixing in some past tense to suggest different modes of thought as the narrator's mental states change. It's an influence on "American Psycho" I think.
I was going to add that present tense works better in first- than third-person, but then I seem to be saying The Hunger Games > Bleak House. So I won't.
I'm willing to consider ethical defenses of authoritarianism, murder, slavery... but even I have my limits.
I love this back and forth, but I have to say I am still on Lisa's side. I just can not get into a book written in present tense, for all the reasons she outlined in her post. I find I ditch so many books now. I'm too old to keep reading a book I don't enjoy. I want a story that sweeps me away into once upon a time. I also can't stand jargon, too much unnecessary swearing, too much violence and anything that is showing savagery towards anything, especially animals. I went to a book club meeting the other night with women of my age 60+, all avid readers, and we agreed on this. I think the industry is missing out on a HUGE demographic here. If you look at the "bestseller" list, it is filled with books that fit a certain tone and influence. Not my cup of tea.
As with most things in literature, present tense is more about how well a writer writes the work, such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rabbit Run, The Fall, As I Lay Dying, Less than Zero, etc.
I usually write past tense, but I'm currently writing a book in present tense, and I reckon it's the best work I've yet done.
I'm not arguing for either side of this - though I do lean toward Liza's position. I'm only here to suggest that with respect to this question, if you haven't already done so, you should check out the stories of Damon Runyon. He was known for, among other things, an extreme, unique and comical fondness for the present tense. One of my favorites is "The Snatching of Bookie Bob" and I highly recommend it! It'll transport you to another world for a few minutes. Shout to my dad (RIP), a no-nonsense lawyer, whose only literary suggestion to me was to read Runyon.