Hey guys, I was wondering if anyone has ever tried to write a novel in the present tense. if anyone has written such a story then please share your work here for reference below.
note: I saw some of you people didn't link your books plz feel free to promote them if you like it.
here's my work, feel free to critique on it.
Oct '20
Oct '20
Trapped by the Mafia, the only work I have on Tapas for the moment, is written in First Person, Present Tense. All my other books are in past Tense, either 3rd or 1st person. I like experimenting with different styles.
Present tense, in my experience, makes it even more important to pay attention to the subjects and verbs of each sentence to make it flow smoothly, instead of turning the text into a monotonous, endless railline of I see, I feel, I do.
Present tense is really useful if you're writing in first person and want to take the time to really illustrate your character's thoughts in the moment. Most of the challenge for me came from catching myself accidentally writing something in past tense like usual, or realizing some scenes that usually worked in past tense don't really flow as well in present tense.
That said, I generally didn't find it affected a whole lot in terms of my stories, but that's partially because my stories generally don't feature a whole lot of action.
My current novel1 on Tapas is present tense. A few chapters are written in past-tense (including the first one) to help illustrate that they take place in the past. I've also got a novella1, where I used the feature of illustrating thought to show off different points of view.
I have written a story in the present tense, however I wouldn't recommend to do it. It is incredibly difficult to write anything longer than a short story, because the present tense is incredibly confusing and many people end up accidentally switching tenses. The present tense also doesn't allow for much outward reflection because the characters are always in the present moment. However, if done well, it can impact readers very well.
Present tense are usually used in first person stories. In my case, the first novel I published in Tapas is a first person POV, yet also a retelling of past events. Thus, only the prologue and epilogue are fully in present tense. I do experiment a bit in some chapters because, although my main character is talking about past events, she sometimes still refers to the present.
example in a chapter that isn't yet published:
It was the hardest period in my life, I’ll be honest. It was a miracle that I survived.
Well, maybe not any longer.
Anyway, I’ve been telling you a long, long story of my life.
Writing a story in present tense can be really tricky. There are so many things that you need to pay attention to. Not only that, there are times where past tenses are needed in the story.
My good friend has a series in the present tense. She only has three chapters up, but has 4-5 books on Wattpad. She will keep moving her story over if she gets some support. She just joined here.
I tried writing a short story in present tense before because I personally feel you can't hate something until you've tried it yourself...but it was the hardest 5 page story I ever had to write. I just can't get into a groove with present tense both as a reader and a writer. It's definitely not a tense that's going to be for everyone.
I do first person present tense for almost all my novels. The immediacy really helps, and also with Tapas' readers prefering shorter chapters as well, it allows you to cut a lot of the trappings that third person can give and really get into the issues at hand. It's not perfect for everything. Anything that needs a lot of world-building is hard to do in first person, and requires careful forethought so that the main character isn't just narrating exposition at the audience. But other than that, I've found it's a really fun and fast way to write and still produce a good product at the end of it.
I'm writing all my stories in present tense (for example Dreams and Nightmares on Tapas1 because I think that's a lot easier. Mostly because it's easier to show the characters' thoughts. But also because English isn't my first language and the tenses still confuse me 
I've tried writing in the present tense before but always ended up failing for some reason. I don't know why but I personally feel more comfortable writing in the past tense.
I do have a novel called "Mega-Egypt" that is in present tense! It's privated again currently because I'm reworking it so I can't really share examples. But I agree with the others that it's incredibly hard to pull off. Mine is in present tense, first person but with an unreliable narrator who writes diary entries. It's much more abstract and surreal than my current big series, "Red Shift". I imagine writing a more streamlined, clear story in present tense is just as difficult.
Ever since I learned how to do so, I've been writing in the present tense (so, ~8 years?) Granted, it was little difficult to grasp when I first started practicing with it, but now I like it better than past tense lol Third person limited/deep, present tense is my go to~
Like others have said, it provides an immediate, in-the-moment feel, that imo, is fun to write1 (and read, honestly). But you really do have to keep track of your -ings and -eds, so to speak 
I think the hunger games is written almost entirely in present tense? that's the most well known example I know of. It really aided the story in getting the reader to feel like they're right there in the moment, especially in the audiobook version.
I've got a Novella up "Dead Souls Doing the Samba"
I think the subject of everything a person writes dictates (darn that little voice in your head) how it should be written.
Darn it, tried to put in a link... oh well
I write in first person, present tense. For me it creates a sense of wonder and anticipation for my character. I have to be mindful of tense slips and properly sectioning when something is being explained in past tense, but other than that I have fun with it.
I pretty much exclusively write in present tense because I find it a much more limitless medium than past tense. This of course changed from writer to writer, but it's my preference to use present. I'll just link my profile since all my stories use the same tense haha
Edit: My whole shtick is third person, present tense. I don't write in first person often if at all!
I actually disagree with you there. I'd highly recommend present tense because of the closeness of the action, and the potential for strong voice. I do agree that one must be pretty comfortable writing in present tense, though, especially if they're coming from writing strictly past tense. It's a difficult switch to make, but not because present tense is difficult, rather because being used to doing something one specific way and switching it up always requires an adjustment period.
As for outward reflection, of course you can have that in present tense! It's a tricky balance if you're writing in limited POV, which is a given if you're doing first person but also possible in third, but it's really more about learning to shape your words differently. All the potential is still there!
I love present tense. It's definitely less popular than past, but when it's done well? CHEF'S KISS. It's my favorite haha
It would be easier to write in present tense for me as I come from the language that have no tenses at all. However, many people shit on that usage for being amateur and even call it lazy shit writing . I thought of me being no spik Inglish, incrorect grammer, with present tense would not be a good impression, so I try (keyword: try) to force myself to write in past tense even if I have not grasped the whole concept of tenses.
Plus, my story is third-person omniscient shit with fuckery shit amount of world building sprinkled in which IDK how fitting it is with such tenses use; I observe it is more common in first person and I don't like it. As my language does not have tenses, I cannot sense the difference of "immediacy" as well as many people pointed out here. I also more used to past tense in fiction.
Does using past tense make my writing better? Absolutely not. It's shitty as always. Here is a proof of its shittiness1
When I wrote a short story, it felt awkward. But after a few pages of the novel, i became comfortable. But when I switch from editing Trapped (Present Tense, First Person) to writing or editing Free Spirit (Third Person, Past Tense) or vice versa it takes a little readjustment.
I did like it for Trapped by the Mafia because it is both romance and a thriller, and it helped to bring the element of raw feeling and unexpected turns to the narrative.
I write my story in both present and past tense. This might be kinda weird but it makes sense when I think about it. I am writing a fantasy novel, so the character's dialogue and feelings are in the first person. Narration and worldbuilding stuff is written in the third person. Not sure this works very well, but I like writing like this so screw it.
