Novel thinking of switching tenses in my novel

I finished a very rough draft of my novel not too long ago. Here's the thing. I wrote it in past tense because most novels are written in past tense. This is something I would like to interest agents and publishers so I do care about that. And that is one of the main reasons I wrote this story in past tense.

However, most of the time I write in present tense which I have had some success with in terms of publishing short stories. Even with that, most of the short stories in these publications are still in past tense. I get that it's the industry norm.

I'm not looking to break tradition or become an exception. It's just for some reason my writing feels crisper in present tense. And I feel like this book might have a better chance of being published if I rewrite it in present tense. It was a lot more challenging for me to write it is past tense.

I think I need to give this some more thought. I'm hostly quite torn as to how to handle this. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this. Are your stories in past tense? Or present tense? Is there a reason behind your choice of tense? Is one easier for you to write than the other? I do worry that easier might not be the best option for me with this novel, but something feels a little off to me. I will admit I'm not actually sure what that is. It could very well be something other than the tense, but that was my first thought. What are your thoughts on past tense vs. present tense?

 

I stick to present tense. It is more comfortable for me to write things as they unfold. It allows me to explore the internal aspects of characters as the events happen. Even on the occasions I use flash backs, I stay in present tense. I explore the past experience of the character with them in that moment.

If these are a group of agents and publishers that you have built a relationship with and want to continue working with. And they prefer past tense in the works, it might be worth continuing in that style. Or you may want to look for others to work with that prefer present tense work.

The real question is what fits your style best, and how far out of your comfort zone are you willing to explore? Those are questions only you can answer.

 

It's one of those things I don't really notice once I'm a few pages in when reading.

I'm more comfortable with past tense. It was simply the most common tense in the books I read growing up.

 

My recent stories have all been in present as a stylistic choice - they're written as podcasts so meant to be read aloud, by a narrator who is also to an extent an omniscient character. Present puts it more in-the-moment, makes any danger to the characters feel a bit more immediate.

That said, my default before writing these was past, I think more through habit than anything else.

Could you rewrite a couple of chapters, or maybe a few pages if your chapters are large? That might give you an idea of how much difference it'd make and how much work it'd be without committing to the whole novel right away.

 

I've only experimented with present tense very recently in a couple of flash pieces, and I love it. I'm a big fan of several present tense books. The Hunger Games comes to mind immediately. I listened to a novella this month called Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky that was written in present tense, as well as a few horror novels earlier in the year. You'd be in good company, if you decide to go that direction. There are plenty of ways to create a sense of immediacy in past tense, but it's almost a given in present. I definitely want to write a novel in present tense.

 

I write past tense. For the genres in which I write, it is pretty standard. I write third person limited and first person.

That is not to say that I don't enjoy reading the occasional present tense novel. Many young adult novels are written present tense, for example. Present tense can portray a feeling of more immediacy, for example.

Deadrats, as you've written a good amount successfully in present tense, there is not the worry that you'll fall into some of the common failings inexperienced writers have with initial attempts.

If the story is better in present tense, and if you're stronger writing in present tense, and the tale fits present tense, you should probably use it, even if you're seeking agent representation for the novel. Just be sure that you start off strong (okay that's good advice for any tense), but maybe especially so if you feel that the tense will be an additional hurdle toward an agent maintaining interest in a submission. I guess if agents list present tense as a dislike, then skip them.

Good luck.

 

Oh, and by the way, I once realized four chapters into my novel that I had to switch from third to first person. I wrote chapters 5 and 6 in first, and was sure I was right, so I went back and fixed 1-4. It was only 10K, and I'm guessing yours is something like ten times that, but it was very doable. It wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be, just time consuming. Go through it slowly enough to catch every instance, though. I found several I missed on my second time through, and they made things very confusing, lol.