Blog 46: What time is it, Doc?

Hi there and Happy Doctor Who Day! I’m sure you are spending the day binge watching all your favourite episodes, which of course will be those featuring David Tenant, derr. You’ll be humming the theme tune, remembering some of his old nemeses and perhaps even wearing a Doctor Who costume or, a fluffy Dalek onesie. Hey, I’m not judging. You do you! It’s getting chilly and being all snuggled up watching your fav episodes on a chilly day sounds a pretty good way to celebrate. If you have planned it right, you will of course have some sort of Doctor Who type snacks as well!

But what if, shock, horror, you had no idea that this day was upon you? What if … you have not had time to get organised for this Time Lord themed celebration with onesie’s snacks and Mr Tenant? If this is the first you are hearing of it, then you will need to do like the good Doctor himself, grab a Tardis, and turn back time to prepare.

Yes, I know, we can’t actually do that. Apart from four weeks ago when we went back an hour. But when we write stories, we can! We may choose to write the entire thing in the past. Or maybe jump into a few flashbacks, and even flashforwards. If you write non-linear, the reader could be carried about in time almost as much as the Doctor.

So, when it comes to time, how do you know how to organise it? Is the narrator telling a tale from years ago, or did it happen last week? Is it more exciting to tell it in present tense, as it happens or will that get confusing or be restrictive? Let’s jump in our time machine and have a look at some tips to help us discover the best way to defeat the cybermen ... I mean write our stories.

Der der der der, der der der der, der der der der, der der der der, ooo ooo ooo ooooooo oooo. Okay that’s enough of that. Please continue to hum the tune if you so wish. But pay attention: -

Past Tense

The most popular and common tense of writing. You will all be very familiar with this one, and though it is written in the past, it still feels fresh and engaging. Here is a passage taken from the beginning of Hex written by Thomas Olde Heuvelt: -

Steve Grant rounded the corner of the parking lot behind Black Spring Market & Deli just in time to see Katherine van Wyler get run over by an antique barrel organ. For a minute he thought it was an optical illusion, because instead of being thrown back onto the street the woman melted into the wooden curlicues, feathered angel wings, and chrome-colored organ pipes. It was Mary Keller who pushed the organ backward by its trailer hitch and, following Lucy Everett’s instructions, brought it to a halt. Although there wasn’t a bump to be heard or a trickle of blood to be seen when Katherine was struck, people began rushing in from all sides with the urgency that townsfolk always seem to exhibit when an accident occurs. Yet no one dropped their shopping bag to help her up . . . for if there was one thing the residents of Black Spring valued more highly than urgency, it was a cautious insistence on never getting too involved in Katherine’s affairs.

Despite the fact we know this happened a certain amount of time ago, it still manages to grip us in that recorded moment of time. We aren’t reading it and thinking this has already happened, but we let the events roll out in front of us, taking in all the details and creating a picture as if it is happening right in front of us as we read. So why write in the past tense?

1. Most familiar tense – we have all grown up reading mainly in this particular tense, and it is the clear favourite of the majority of adults to read.

   
   

2. Easier to write – as we are so familiar with stories told from the past, we are much better at writing it without slipping into the wrong tense.

   
   

3. Time management – as it is in the past, it is so much easier to navigate time. We can skip forward to the next morning, week, or year without it feeling jarring or odd that there is missing time.

   
   

4. POV – you have more options for point of view, like third person or omniscient, able to take a bigger step back and see the full picture.

   
   

5. Building tension – there is more scope for creating an atmosphere as you build up to the action.

   
   

6. Characters – you are able to delve more deeply into the personalities of different characters, giving pieces of information from the past and putting all the details together.

Present Tense

So, with all that in mind, why bother writing in the present tense? Personally, I like challenging myself and trying something different. It can be a new way to explore how you write and give more enjoyment to yourself and your readers. So, what else does it have to offer? Let’s look at a passage in present tense, taken from The Housemaid’s Secret written by Freida McFadden: -

It will be roughly a five-hour drive to our destination, taking traffic into account. Or at least, that’s what my GPS tells me.

Our plan is to find a cheap motel off the side of the highway when we get close to Albany. I’ll drop Wendy off there to spend the night, then Fiona will pick her up the next morning. She’s bringing enough clothing to last a couple of weeks, and enough cash to last several months.

Douglas will never find her.

I park my painfully conspicuous red Hyundai a block away from the building, so the doorman who keeps winking at me will not report to Douglas that his wife got into a red Sedan with his housekeeper. The car is so ridiculously red, it’s like I’m driving a freaking fire engine. But there’s nothing I can do about it now.

As I wait in the car for Wendy to materialize, a text message arrives from Douglas on my phone:

Despite this being in present tense, the narrator begins in the future, telling us how long it will take for them to arrive at their destination and talking us through the intended plan. Then we’re in the moment to moment as she tells us what is happening. I’m not reading this passage and thinking to myself “this is present tense” and trying to work out some sort of formula. It feels natural and I let it unfold as I would if it were past. So, what should you know about the differences between the two: -

1. The trendy tense – the younger generation seem to prefer the present tense. Perhaps because the past tense has an older feel to it, but they like how it embraces the moment, and perhaps present tense is the way forward to gain influential readers.

   
   

2. POV – writing in first and second person is well suited to the present tense. It makes it more of a personal account between the narrator and the reader. For those that may not realise, second person is when the he/she from third person, or the I from first person becomes the you. For example, you are reading this blog and thinking “I really need to go to the bathroom.” The question is, will you cross your legs and speed read the rest of the article or pause what you’re doing? Because can you really concentrate on reading with a nagging bladder? It’s true. You can’t wait any longer and dash upstairs.

   
   

3. More tension – you may not be able to build it but being in the moment, the stakes can feel higher, drawing the reader in.

   
   

4. Voice – the narrator in present tense feels closer to the reader. They get to know them more intimately and feel more engaged in the story.

   
   

5. Unreliable narrators – the restrictive nature of present tense can be a strength if you want to mislead your reader. Stories such as mysteries or thrillers where you wish to withhold information to build tension or have a twist at the end can really come into their own.

Future Tense

Who isn’t intrigued by what could be? The fact that Sci-Fi is so popular confirms that we love to immerse ourselves in possibilities of things that may happen. I haven’t read a story in future tense, and there are stories that have elements written into it. But if you come across one, please let me know. Perhaps you would like to have a go at it yourself! In the meantime, here is an extract I found with a future tense within it, the Middle by Erin K Wagner: -

“It will only be a few days more. They’ll come to their senses. The strike fund won’t last forever.” Mr. Grose sat down on the wrong side of his desk, next to Noah. The gold logo and name of the hotel was emblazoned on the wall behind him. “When they come back-and they will, raising the question, why do it in the first place-they’ll be relieved that the hard part’s already done. By then the robot will be up and running, any wrinkles ironed out.”

The foretelling of what will happen here is in the dialogue. In contrast to this, if you have read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, it is in a non-linear style which incorporates flashforwards, informing the reader of what will happen to certain characters. This will be even more challenging to write and restrictive than present tense, so what are the bonuses of this tense: -

1. Unique – this is certainly an uncommon technique, and it will stand out as being different and fresh.

   
   

2. Perspective – this can give a different type of reading experience. If it is third person, the reader is finding out about something that will happen, perhaps a large-scale event, like a natural disaster being foretold, or it could be a singular character having premonitions about themself. If you decide to use second person, you are in the position of telling your reader what fate has in store for them. There’s a lot of room here to be creative and experimental.

   
   

3. Tension - for those among you that are religious, let’s not forget the bible has many parts woven throughout that talk about what is to come, including the coming of Jesus, the second coming and the end of the world. Being told that something is fated to occur, perhaps even down to the second it happens, and knowing the character has no control over the events as they approach, can create quite the wild ride.

   
   

4. Character development – it gives a fantastic opportunity to delve into the mind of the character as the narrator takes you through their thoughts and feelings in this future world that they are in.

Can you tell that I want to have a go at writing in the future tense? If you decide to give it a go, please let me know how it goes. You could, of course, use all three. Begin in the past, catch up to the present, and then take it into the future. The perfect plot for this could be time travel. Have fun with it.

Catch you next time.