Hello! Ran into this forum during an intense google search for writing communities. I feel like I should be asking questions while writing my first ever story, the learning experience is crucial for me as I'm hoping to become a full-time writer one day. My first question is about committing to a specific time tense, either past or present. Usage of present tense feels very smooth and helpful when it comes to combining events, things that occur at the same exact moment. Yet, I found that I use past tense a lot more. Can I use two different time tenses, separately, to serve different purposes in a novel?
Usually, you need to choose a primary narrative tense and stick with it. There are some exceptions, but if you’re writing your first story, I wouldn’t recommend adding that complexity. I’m a bit confused about why present tense would be more useful for combining events. Can you give an example?
