Talking Tenses

Robyn Weightman
Apr 15, 2020
4 min read

In this blog we will discuss the various tenses you can use in your writing and the pros and cons of each. The tense you choose can make a huge difference to the story you produce and how it is perceived by your audience.

First, lets discuss the three basic tenses;

Past - The past tense refers to an event which occurred in the past and uses verbs such as had.

Present - The present tense refers to an event which is happening immediately and uses verbs such as has.

Future - The future tense refers to an event which has not yet taken place and uses verbs such as will.

The most common tense is past, with the present becoming more popular in recent years.

After you've chosen a tense, you then have to flit and choose between the four subcategories of each. This may seem like a list, but it is always useful to refer back to as you edit your writing.

Past

Past Simple - An event which both started and ended in the past.

"Sarah ran to the store."

Past Continuous - A past event which was interrupted.

"Sarah was running to the store."

Past Perfect - An event which happened prior to your current event.

"Sarah had run to the store"

Past Perfect Continuous - A continuous action or event that was completed in the past.

"Sarah had run to the store."

Pros

- Most traditional writing style. Readers are less likely to be distracted from your story in this tense because it is what

they're used to reading.

- It is a strong position to paint the whole picture. Because it's already happened you can use as many details as

you like. You can also move back and forth in time as needed.

Cons

- It can slow the pace of the story, you must be careful in action scenes with this tense.

- Removes some tension. Because the events took place in the past, the reader knows either the protagonist or

the narrator must survive until the end.

Present

Present Simple - An action or event which is usual or repetitive.

"Sarah runs to the store."

Present Continuous - An action or event which is happening right now.

"Sarah is running to the store."

Present Perfect - An action which happened prior to the current action.

"Sarah has run to the store."

Present Perfect Continuous - An action or event which started in the past but is continuing now.

"Sarah has been to the store."

Pros

- Immediate tension.

- Character traits are easily created because you're watching them in the moment.

Cons

- You can't hop forward or back in time.

- It's difficult to show any backstory.

Future

Future Simple - An event or action that will take place.

"Sarah will run to the store."

Future Continuous - When the action or event you're describing will be interrupted.

"Sarah will be running to the store."

Future Perfect - An event or action that will be finished before something takes place.

"Sarah will have run to the store."

Future Perfect Continuous - An event or action which will end before something happening in the future.

"Sarah will be back from the store by the time grandma comes."

Pros

- You'll get noticed. I cannot find a book in my collection written in the future tense. I have tried and failed. If you're

the first, people will notice. (If it's good.)

- Your concept can be fluid. Because it is happening in the future, nothing is definite or determined.

Cons

- Not immediate. The reader might not care because it's not currently happening, therefore it's a future worry. Plus,

the future can always change.

- Jarring. I can't find a book in my collection written in the future tense. Which means, if yours is, it's going

to stand out, but also be hard to read as the reader will constantly thinking about what tense it is in.

You will naturally mix simple, perfect, continuous and perfect continuous as you write in your chosen tense. But it is useful to know when you're writing it to make sure you're using it correctly.

Whilst choosing your tense, it is important to think about the genre you are writing and what readers are expecting / what will bring your story to life the most. For example, most fantasy stories are written in the past tense, but romance can be popular in present.

You can also mix the three tenses but be careful of this. We all love a good flashback but too many can become a bit much. Swapping tense each paragraph or chapter can become confusing and the reader can get lost in what timeline they're in. Concentrate on what tense the author is using in the next book you read and see if you can work out why. It's good practise to prepare for deciding your own.

Below is a list of books I recommend, along with the tense they're written in. I have also included the books release year so you can see which are most popular.

Present

'The Starless Sea,' by Erin Morgenstern, 2019

'The Binding,' by Bridget Collins, 2019

'The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock,' by Imogen Hermes Gowar, 2018

Past

'The Toy Makers,' by Robert Dinsdale, 2018

'Caraval,' by Stephanie Garber, 2017

'Deeplight,' by Frances Harding, 2019

'The Confession,' by Jesse Burton, 2019

'Harry Potter,' by J. K. Rowling, 1997

I hope you found this helpful, if you would like to see this information in video format please head to my YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/Robynblond09