Present or past tense?

Question

Im writing a story. Its a 3rd person view.

Its in the present tense.

Is there any problems with using present tense. Is past better?

For example:

As the settling mist impedes the full moon, a beautiful lady charges through the forest on a white horse, grasping a lantern forward on a long cane.

Compared to:

The mist settled on the ground, the full moon impeded from sight. A beautiful lady charged through the forest on a white horse, a lantern grasped in her hand.

PS. The past tense may not make sense in the grammar sense.

What do people think? Thanks

I dont know why but my style of writing seems more interesting in the present tense. When i read my own work i feel transported into the realm in the present tense more than the past tense.

Answer 1

There is an immediacy about present tense which can directly engage a reader, as though borne on a flood. It works best in "conversational English" rather than formal - but that may suit well because most writers now use conversational form. However, it can be difficult to sustain in a long work because it is restricted to a single viewpoint, like a camera, which disallows many strategies that can otherwise employed in story telling. Past tense allows the "omniscient" narrator's voice, and shifts in view and is easier. First person in the voice of a character is more difficult than third person narration. Experiment - writing should be fun, or it won't be fun for the reader.

Answer 2

To tell you the truth, i don't think either of these samples are Past Tense but rather Present Tense. Now, i looked at these for some time and hadn't really found any obvious evidence of Past.
The reason being is that you use "As the" and "The mist", both meaning the same thing but with different wording.
Another example is the use of "charges" and "charged", again both meaning the same thing but with minute changes.
A past tense would have been something like "a beautiful lady "had" charged through the forest", but that wouldn't have worked in this term. Another is "the mist "had" impeded the full moon as the lady charged through....."
Get the point?
A good thing to do is to learn some of the past tense and present tense words, practicing them.
For example, if you "were" hung, that's a present, if you "being" hung, that's future and if you were "hanging" that would be present.
Grasping the whole concept of past, present and future tenses can be hard work to understand and difficult fully grasp. This sort of wording is very devious but interesting.

Keep up the good work... :)

Answer 3

Personally, I think the past tense sounds better, it give the reader a feeling that the person telling the story has already lived it all. Just my thoughts.

Answer 4

My personal opinion is that a novel always sounds better in the past tense.

Writing in the present tense either feels contrived to me, or reads like a film script.

Answer 5

It doesn't really matter which tense you use, as long as your grammar is correct and your writing style interesting. However, if your story is as dramatic as the example you stated suggests, I think it would be better to use past tense.

Answer 6

I like the past tense better. Stories in the past are more interesting, they sound like legends or as if someone was telling you a story.

Answer 7

The tense being used is entirely up to the author.

Answer 8

I like present tense better. It seems more active but maybe that's just me.

Answer 9

I think it's up to you. It doesn't really matter. The story will not be affected by your choice. It is just what you find easier to write with.