Short Fiction

Using the Present Tense in Short Fiction

Jan 5, 2011 John Abbott

Writer's Notebook - Sarah Abbott

When writers begin a short story, they don’t often think of what tense to use; however, this decision can influence the feel and mood of the entire piece. Therefore, it is essential to figure out whether you should choose past or present tense.
In most situations, the past tense is the natural choice because stories usually recount events that have already happened. In fact, one of the most common story introductions – Once upon a time. . . – tells the reader up front that they are reading about a tale that occurred long ago. While the past tense lends itself well to the short story form, there are certain instances when the present tense is desirable.

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In general, the present tense works best in shorter pieces, especially in flash fiction and microfiction. Why is this so? Well, the present tense brings a sense of immediacy to a story, making the reader feel like the action is happening as they read each word. Consider this opening to a flash fiction piece by Joseph Young: “Someone's sawing wood, and it's about to rain. I can smell the sawdust in the breeze. The girl with the lost cat stops to shield her eyes.” Even from these few lines the reader feels the urgency of the story’s action, making them want to read on by bringing images to life quickly.
The plot momentum that the author establishes can then be sustained right on through to the story’s end, which in a flash fiction piece is practically around the corner. The sense of immediate action also pairs well with the goal of shorter stories and flash fiction: to surprise or uplift the reader. Thus, choosing the present tense for these types of literature makes sense.
In longer works, however, you typically don’t want every sentence to grab the reader’s attention so forcefully. If you emphasize every single bit of action, then at some point none of it truly stands out. Additionally, longer stories almost always contain multiple scenes as well as flashbacks, which require careful attention to both past tense and past perfect tense. Basically, the longer you use the present tense, the more problems you run into when referring to other parts of the story.
So if the present tense works best in shorter fiction, does that mean it should always be used instead of the past tense? The answer to this question largely depends on what story you are trying to write. In order to figure out the best choice, it helps to consider the following questions:

• Does my story contain more than one scene?
• Does my story contain several flashbacks?
• Is one of my goals to thoroughly develop more than one or two characters?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the present tense might not be the best approach because of logistical or stylistic issues. However, like just about any rule, there are exceptions. The important thing is to remember the tense you select should always be a conscious choice, just as it would be for other elements of story such as plot, setting, and characters

Read more at Suite101: Using the Present Tense in Short Fiction http://www.suite101.com/content/using-the-present-tense-in-short-fiction-a328429#ixzz1BTG2rHTs