WHAT IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE FORM OF TENSE TO BE USED IN BOOKS WRITING?

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Aisha I
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WHAT IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE FORM OF TENSE TO BE USED IN BOOKS WRITING?

Post by Aisha I »

Frequently, many writers become confused about what tense to use in narrating a new story. They ponder if they should use the present tense, present continuous, past tense or the past participles in terms of verbs and the action of the story.
It is accurate to use either past tense or present tense in writing a story. I use either of them in narrating a story but I prefer using the present tense at most. I make sure I stay consistent with a particular tense because it's atrocious to use both present tense and past tense at the same time, and it is fun to use one in line with the story.

What can you say about this topic?
Which do you prefer and why do you think it's the best?
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Eryn Bradshaw
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Post by Eryn Bradshaw »

Honestly, I don't think tense matters, as long as the author is consistent with it. And even if the author switches tenses, as long as they do it for a reason instead of writing however they feel that day, I really don't mind. I wouldn't say that I dislike seeing a specific tense and really can't say that one is the best to use.
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Post by shanlife-2 »

It's important as a writer before you start writing a book, to first choose which tense to use either the past or present tense. For I prefer using the past tense it's easier to pull it off.You can tell a story whichever way you feel like,you can jump from one chapter to another,they is more flow to the book
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Lgs1089
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Post by Lgs1089 »

Aisha I wrote: 07 Apr 2018, 00:17 Frequently, many writers become confused about what tense to use in narrating a new story. They ponder if they should use the present tense, present continuous, past tense or the past participles in terms of verbs and the action of the story.
It is accurate to use either past tense or present tense in writing a story. I use either of them in narrating a story but I prefer using the present tense at most. I make sure I stay consistent with a particular tense because it's atrocious to use both present tense and past tense at the same time, and it is fun to use one in line with the story.

What can you say about this topic?
Which do you prefer and why do you think it's the best?
Tense matters. I think it's best to stick with past, present, or future. Refrain from dipping into perfect tenses. Perfect tenses come off wordy and it's irksome. Remain consistent. keep in mind, the more active the writing, the more active the voice, and the better your work will read.
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Lgs1089
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Post by Lgs1089 »

Eryn Bradshaw wrote: 07 Apr 2018, 15:41 Honestly, I don't think tense matters, as long as the author is consistent with it. And even if the author switches tenses, as long as they do it for a reason instead of writing however they feel that day, I really don't mind. I wouldn't say that I dislike seeing a specific tense and really can't say that one is the best to use.
Switching tenses is a writing faux pas, but sometimes it's necessary. However, it has to occur in a separate scene on its own. In writing, there does not need to be multiple tenses within the same thought, scene, or line of dialogue. It can get confusing. For instance:

Britt sneezes and said, "I'm looking forward to eating gumbo. It was my favorite."

There are three tenses in that sentence, and it reads like sh*t.
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Post by love_b00ks »

It depends on how you want the reader to feel while reading the book, I guess. You just have to be consistent all throughout. I get confused with the tenses too at times :D
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Post by jgraney8 »

The tense used depends on the time of the actions. If the action happens at the moment, the writer should use present continuous and present. This is especially true when using a first-person narrator. A third-person narrator often narrates about past events in which case the past tense would be used. But the present tense could be used with the past action. "I knew the sun always rises in the east" because the present is used with universal facts.

The sentence quoted
Britt sneezes and said, "I'm looking forward to eating gumbo. It was my favorite."
is jarring because the use of the past tense makes little sense in this case. One might create a context for it to make sense, but that asks the reader to do a lot of work. If the writer added a qualifier like "It was my favorite when I was a child." it would make sense of the time shift.
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safder zaidi
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Post by safder zaidi »

it should be present tense if you want the reader to visualize this story....
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