So here's something I've been thinking about for awhile. What's the deal with present tense these days? Have you noticed that there's more and more books using it? What do you think? Do you like present tense? Or does it bug you?
I've been trying to get my 14 year old son to read The Hunger Games. "You'd love it!" I said. He said, "Mom, I tried. It's in present tense. It give me a headache." "What?" I said. "You won't read this amazingly cool book, that I know you'll love, just because it's in present tense?" He went on to say that it bugged him so much that he couldn't concentrate on the story. He says, how can she be writing this while she's in the middle of it? He thinks of books as if the character were sitting down and writing it.
I said, well, present tense, especially in this story, makes you feel like you are right there in the middle of the action, right while it's happening! It's a way to make the reader feel much more a part of the story!
He shook his head and said, nope, he is not reading The Hunger Games. It makes me crazy. And to make it worse, I know he only read like a paragraph before giving up.
But then, I remembered the first time I was bugged by present tense. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. (I'm sure that wasn't the first present tense book I read, just the first that really distracted me) Turns out, I loved that book. But I remember having to get over the present tense thing, and it took awhile. So I could sort of relate to what he was saying. Sometimes present tense is just weird, and throws off the flow, or something.
So, ever since that conversation with my son, I've been paying more attention and wow, there's a lot of books using present tense these days. Most recently for me, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Sacred Hearts, and of course, Catching Fire. And while I notice it and think, oh, present tense... when I first start the book, I'm over that "this is weird" thing and can forget about it and enjoy the book regardless.
So, what do you think? Does present tense throw you off? Have you noticed it in more books recently? Any suggestion on how to get my kid to read a good book even if it's in present tense?
Oh, and by the way, he says he only likes books in first person too. But that's a subject for a different post.
P.S. Amanda from The Zen Leaf, also wondered about present tense as part of her Catching Fire review. Check it out!
I find present tense irritating for the most part, because it's an awkward way to speak. We don't, in real life, narrate our lives bit by bit. Saying "I walk down the street" sounds really ridiculous. So if an author's going to use present tense, it's got to be well done. The Hunger Games is well done. Some others are not so well done. I tend to put aside books that write in present, but I understand why they do it.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what kind of comments you get in response to this. I'm starting my third novel now, and have been debating using first person present tense, vs. third person (although close third person) past tense as I have with my past two books. First person is fun to write. But I'm with your son—-the present tense thing can be a stumbling block for me as a reader, and a writer. Great idea for a post!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't tell you what book it was, but I do remember being really thrown off the first time I read a book that was written in the present tense. It took awhile to adjust. I'm much more used to it now, although I admit there still is a bit of an adjustment period. It just doesn't last as long now. :-)
ReplyDeleteI guess they're using present tense as a way to create a feeling of immediacy as if you were watching a film. Deep down, I believe many authors use it because they feel as if they are on shaky ground when it comes to grammar usage...like the past participle, for example.
ReplyDeleteSometimes present tense bugs me and sometimes it doesn't.
It bugs me. Most times I find it really awkward and distracting. Occasionally I find a book where it works really well, the writing is very fluid and it feels like someone's thoughts- but I've never been able to pin down what makes the difference.
ReplyDeleteI know a book is really well done when I don't notice it's in the present tense. Hunger Games was like that for me; Catching Fire, not so much. Willow is the most recent book I read where I thought it actually worked better in the present tense; if it had been past tense, much of the impact of the main character's situation would have been lost.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm a past-tense, third person omniscient narrator kind of girl. :-)
(And, yeah, there have been more present tense books out lately.)
I've not noticed present tense as an effect. It must not have bugged. I have Catching Fire here to read, so I'll have to pay attention.
ReplyDeleteThe novel I read that was first person plural - we knew..., we met... was kinda cool, it was so different. And it was about the group think in an office, so it really worked - Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
I haven't read the Hunger Games yet, but I don't care for first person and I don't like present tense either. I think the Twilight books would have been a lot better if they hadn't been first person. One of the things that bugged me so much about Angela Hunt's "Doesn't She Look Natural" series was that part of it was first person and the rest was a weird third-person present tense. Drove me nuts.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I usually don't consciously think about the tense as I'm reading. If the story is good and if the tense is readable, it shouldn't be something to notice. I think a well-written book in whatever tense can be great as long as the reader is sitting there thinking "that was awkward - it is written in present tense."
ReplyDeleteP.S. LOVE your new banner!
Um, I meant "if the reader ISN'T sitting there thinking..." Obviously I wasn't thinking
ReplyDeleteI like your blog's clean new look!
ReplyDeleteI'm with your son (and others), normally I find present tense writing very awkward and irritating to read. I've only read 3 books written this way that have held my attention long enough to get over my irritation with it. Normally if I pick up a book and skim through it, and find it written in present tense I put it down with a sigh of regret. Sad, but true. I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot of good books because of it, but I can't help it.
And like Jeane said, I can't figure out what makes the difference between those 3 I've read and all the others I couldn't stick with.
I never thought I'd say it, but I think the book Zel by Donna Jo Napoli (one of the 3 I read and liked with present tense) would never have worked in any other tense. The present tense gave it a power and poetry and impact that wouldn't have been there in past tense.
ReplyDeleteI hate present tense, but I didn't even notice that The Hunger Games was written in present tense (and I just read it!) That's how good it was I guess!
ReplyDeleteI remember being thrown off the first time I read a book in present tense, too (but I can't remember which book that was). Nowadays, I hardly ever notice anymore. The only times I do notice is when it's not well-done - I've read some books where the author forgets and lapses back into past tense for a paragraph or so and it was never caught by the editor. That does bug me. But otherwise, I don't mind present tense at all.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how most of us feel that present tense is a little off-putting, unless it's done well, but we aren't sure what done well means! I love how Lahni didn't even notice it in The Hunger Games. Interesting...
ReplyDeleteI do hope you all like the new look here. I've just changed the picture yet again. Maybe I'll stick with one soon. And I need my husband to help on a few other changes I'm hoping to do. So stay tuned...
I do think it's used a lot more, these days, but whether or not I can bear present tense depends on the writer and the subject. Sometimes, I feel like a book makes no sense whatsoever told in present tense. At other times, it seems right and/or I get used to it. But, I am not a fan of present tense. I prefer past. It just makes more sense to me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it kind of drives me nuts most of the time.
ReplyDeleteLargely because I think it's hard to do without it sounding really awkward or being inconsistent.
I think part of it is because when we're taught about stories and writing and storytelling-- we're usually taught to use past tense!
I find some books written in the present tense very irritating right from the start, whereas I don't realise until later that others are written in that way. For me, it all depends on the book.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing everyone rant about this book (and after seeing the perfect 5-star rating on B&N's Web site), I decided I'd have to give "The Hunger Games" a try...and just now worked my way down from #60 on the library's hold list. You can't imagine my dismay upon flipping quickly through its pages and realizing that it's written entirely in the present tense. There's a whole slew of novels I've adamantly refused to read because of present tense, but I suppose narrow-mindedness is such a crime in creativity that I'll have to give this one a try...
ReplyDeleteJessica, I have a feeling you'll forget all about the present tense during this book. Good luck!
ReplyDelete