I
adore first person present tense.
Present
tense takes me, as a reader, right in. I’m here, and here we go together, all
the way until the story’s end.
When
it comes to writing picture books for the very young, it also feels like
natural language. Toddlers use present tense even when speaking of past or
future events.
Here’s
the kicker: what to do when a picture book is about something that is no more? Think,
the past. Think, HISTORY.
Like
the Milkman, or corsets, or rotary phones.
There
are writers who can do it. I’m still struggling.
Mirka, when I was learning French and German, I spoke only in the present tense, with added words to express past or present. It's funny, but it took me some time to warm up to present tense--I think the first one I was able to sink into the story was Hunger Games. I was right there with Katniss. I remember writing the first draft of Bound and how it came out in present tense and thinking good grief. I tried writing a couple of chapters in the past tense, giving it a bit more distance, but it didn't work. Present tense was what this story demanded.
ReplyDeleteYour readers might enjoy this essay from my archives: https://vijayabodach.blogspot.com/2018/05/a-tense-situation.html
I'm writing an historical MG novel in first person, present tense. I'm hoping to make the past seem more vivid to the reader. I'm pretty sure I've read some historicals done this way, but I can't think of an example right now.
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