A tiny manual
(or, since I have nothing else to do and can’t sleep, I’ve started a mini-creative-writing-manual-thingummy)
A few days ago, Robyn asked me to help her decide the verb tense she should use to write a scene. It would be a memory, and she wanted to know if it would be better to use present or past tense. Since I think more clearly — and communicate less chaotically — in writing, I drafted a little something in my phone notes app. I then proceeded to get carried away, as one does, and then thought, “why don't I write a tiny guide?”. Well, tiny guide is evolving to tiny manual which is evolving to book chapter and now I want to embark on a project and oh, I have so much free time, haven't I?
Well, said book chapter is outlined but not yet written. So I'll paste here the answer I gave her.
Maybe y’all can see if you like the idea, and if my three followers want to see more, I can go and try to actually write a serious thing.
“Choice of tense is not really about chronology; it’s about narrative distance.
If the story is being told as a memory, both past and present are perfectly valid. They simply create different reading experiences.
Past tense: the remembered and interpreted experience
I was walking to the library. I crossed the street. A bus came around the corner.
This is the most traditional choice because memories are, by definition, about things that have already happened.
Effects:
Creates a sense that the narrator has had time to reflect.
Suggests perspective, hindsight, and interpretation.
Feels more stable, measured, and literary.
Allows the narrator to hint that they know how events turned out.
Creates a slight distance between the narrator and the events.
Readers often feel that the narrator is saying:
“This happened to me, and now I’m looking back on it.”
Because of that, past tense is especially effective when the story is about understanding, regret, nostalgia, growth, or the meaning of an experience.
Present tense: the relived experience
I am walking to the library. I cross the street. A bus comes around the corner.
Even though the event happened years ago, the narration makes it feel as though it is unfolding right now.
Effects:
Creates immediacy and urgency.
Makes the reader experience events alongside the narrator.
Feels more intimate and visceral.
Reduces the sense that the narrator already knows what will happen.
Often feels more cinematic.
Readers often feel that the narrator is saying:
“Come with me. Let’s live this moment together.”
Present tense is common when the author wants the memory to feel vivid, emotionally raw, or unresolved.
A useful comparison:
Imagine someone telling you about the day they got lost on the way to somewhere familiar.
Past tense:
I was walking to the library, taking the route I always took, when I realized I didn’t recognize the street in front of me. I stopped, looked around, and felt that sudden, stupid wave of panic.
This feels reflective.
Present tense:
I’m walking to the library, taking the route I always take, when I realize I don’t recognize the street in front of me. I stop, look around, and feel that sudden, stupid wave of panic.
This feels immediate, almost like a scene in a film.
The facts are identical. The emotional effect is different.
An interesting paradox:
Many writers choose present tense specifically for memories because that is often how powerful memories feel.
When you vividly remember an embarrassing moment from ten years ago, your brain doesn’t necessarily experience it as:
“That happened.”
It often experiences it as:
“I’m there again.”
Present tense can capture that sensation of re-entering a memory rather than merely describing it.
A simple rule:
If the narrator is reflecting on the past, use past tense.
If the narrator is reliving the past, use present tense.
Neither is more correct. The question is whether the author wants the reader to feel:
“This happened.” or “This is happening.”
The important thing is to keep the scene consistent. If you start in the present, keep it until the scene ends, and so on.”
Lemme know what y’all think in the comments, will ya?