How do you feel about the present tense in the book?

Use this forum to discuss the February 2018 Book of the Month, "The Reel Sisters" by Michelle Cummings.
Post Reply
psychopathycathy
Posts: 346
Joined: 11 Aug 2016, 20:55
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 1344
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-psychopathycathy.html
Latest Review: Notes of Sorrow Songs Of Joy by Robert Lauri

Re: How do you feel about the present tense in the book?

Post by psychopathycathy »

Present tense always gives me a really weird vibe, but I feel like for this book specifically it really made the experience seem more immersive!
Jax14
Posts: 298
Joined: 04 Sep 2015, 03:50
Favorite Author: Stephen King
Currently Reading: The Thursday Murder Club
Bookshelf Size: 547
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jax14.html
Latest Review: Lost on the Edge of Eternity by Jonathan Floyd
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU
Publishing Contest Votes: 2
fav_author_id: 2376

Post by Jax14 »

I find that present tense puts me off completely and I much prefer reading in the past. For some reason even though I understand what the author is trying to convey in the "now", it slows down my reading and jars it for me. Each to their own I guess!
User avatar
ericahs
Posts: 50
Joined: 24 Feb 2018, 09:07
Currently Reading: The Cybernetic Tea Shop
Bookshelf Size: 27
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ericahs.html
Latest Review: End of the Last Great Kingdom by Victor Rose

Post by ericahs »

I would imagine it's very tricky to write effectively in the present tense. I feel like it's somewhat unusual. I think I'm going to have to go through my shelves and see how many are in the present tense.... I'll be back
The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t.- Douglas Adams
User avatar
angelbeats1
Posts: 163
Joined: 03 Feb 2015, 20:02
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 29
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-angelbeats1.html
Latest Review: Iran Before . . . by Dennis Briskin

Post by angelbeats1 »

I actually liked the present tense when reading this book. I felt more connected and interested in the story. I feel like many authors now use the present tense. It did not hinder the quality of the book, if anything I think I prefer reading books in present tense.
BookInspector300
Posts: 52
Joined: 29 Dec 2017, 14:32
Currently Reading: And Then I Met Margaret
Bookshelf Size: 15
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bookinspector300.html
Latest Review: Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole

Post by BookInspector300 »

Using present tense in writing is not exactly a new phenomenon. Anyone who reads avidly would come across it often.
EricaWilson
Posts: 117
Joined: 10 Feb 2018, 16:53
Favorite Book: Slated
Currently Reading: Seven Minutes in Heaven
Bookshelf Size: 26
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ericawilson.html
Latest Review: The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings

Post by EricaWilson »

I have never really liked reading in present tense, nor do I like to write in it. Past tense also allows for the narrator to give subtle clues about the future events in the story, because they are detailing what has already happened.
User avatar
kthompson
Posts: 4
Joined: 08 Mar 2018, 06:39
Currently Reading: Pachinko
Bookshelf Size: 18

Post by kthompson »

Present-tense usually turns me off, because there are very few situations where it's necessary in a book. Once I overcame my initial resistance, though, I barely noticed it and I admire how consistently it was used throughout.
User avatar
Aubrey Lewis
Posts: 207
Joined: 23 May 2017, 02:01
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 381
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-aubrey-lewis.html
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas

Post by Aubrey Lewis »

For me, it didn't really deter my attention from the book. I've always found books using present tense quite interesting, so I had little problems with it. If it were written in past tense instead, I think my overall impression would still be the same.
User avatar
kislany
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 1118
Joined: 16 Aug 2014, 06:17
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 527
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kislany.html
Latest Review: Golden Skies by Juan Zapata

Post by kislany »

I don't have a problem with books written in present tense; I actually enjoy them, although I know some people are put off by that when they're reading a book.
User avatar
Kelaine
Posts: 28
Joined: 04 Jan 2018, 00:59
Currently Reading: The Left Hand of Darkness
Bookshelf Size: 36
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kelaine.html
Latest Review: Fish Wielder by J.R.R.R. (Jim) Hardison

Post by Kelaine »

Yolimari wrote: 21 Feb 2018, 06:11 I was fine reading the story in present tense. I felt like the events were occurring at real time.
This is how I felt, too. It was almost more engaging than past tense would have been, as I felt like if I stopped reading it would actually stop the story from progressing - like everyone would be stuck, mid-cast, in the middle of the pages where I'd left off.
User avatar
Lenny1886
Posts: 32
Joined: 01 Mar 2018, 16:25
Currently Reading: Sense and Sensibility
Bookshelf Size: 13
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-lenny1886.html
Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon

Post by Lenny1886 »

I remember the first time I read a book written in present tense. I was in grade 5, and it weirded me out. It just felt so unnatural. It still takes me a while to get used to when reading present tense, and I always am initially irritated when I start a novel and find that that’s how it has been written. I really don’t like it. However, once I do get into the story, I’m usually able to ignore it.
User avatar
mef_writer1
Posts: 7
Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 00:42
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 10
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mef-writer1.html
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann

Post by mef_writer1 »

I always have trouble concentrating when I start a book in present tense. It took me a while to get into it and to really immerse myself in the story. Personally, I find that past tense is usually better because people are more used to it and because of that they dive in immediately. That said, I didn't mind the present tense once I got into it. I think the author balanced it well, even if it isn't always my favorite.
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
User avatar
CataclysmicKnight
Posts: 912
Joined: 26 Jan 2015, 19:51
Favorite Book: Ready Player One
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 1693
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cataclysmicknight.html
Latest Review: Simple Man Simple Message by Mark Dobosz

Post by CataclysmicKnight »

Some books really fumble present tense writing because they end up shifting from present to past awkwardly, but I really enjoy present tense when it's done correctly. It definitely makes me feel more drawn into the book!
Nothing is true, everything is permitted.
bookreviewer2016
Posts: 73
Joined: 16 Mar 2016, 15:30
Currently Reading: The Silent Corner
Bookshelf Size: 2910
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bookreviewer2016.html
Latest Review: Pancake Money by Finn Bell

Post by bookreviewer2016 »

Hheaton wrote: 22 Feb 2018, 13:26 I feel like present tense narration is the new trend in writing. I am reading more and more books written in that tense...

...and it drives me nuts. Perhaps I am a traditionalist who likes the comfort of past tense, but I can't help it. I think the present tense does give it this sense of "in the now" and urgency. However, I find that I keep looking for the author to slip up and lose their consistency. Maybe that's the English teacher in me. And when I am too busy trying to look for the verb tense mistake, I lose the storyline - the ultimate crime in reading.

So if I had to decide how I felt about it, I would have to say that I would discourage writers from using it unless they do so PERFECTLY. Otherwise, it sounds like a mess to me.
I agree. Although it's the trend, few authors write well in present tense. Sometimes, it just doesn't make sense. I always get confused when they use present tense for things that happened in the past, like flashbacks. If it's in the past, why not use past tense? And some authors go back and forth so much in time, that it makes my head spin because I don't know what's happening now and what happened before, because they are using present tense for everything. I actually dislike present tense so much that I wrote a blog post about it a few years ago on my old website.
User avatar
jamertin2963
Posts: 44
Joined: 25 Jan 2018, 21:20
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jamertin2963.html
Latest Review: Superhighway by Alex Fayman

Post by jamertin2963 »

I don't even notice when books are written in present tense vs past tense. I feel as though I've read a lot of books in present tense. Definitely doesn't bother me, but it doesn't add anything either.
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "The Reel Sisters" by Michelle Cummings”