Present Tense and story ratings

[TheRedLantern]

A comment I got on a story was about not liking the present tense (I write a lot of first person present). This was for a competition, so my goal was to maximize the number of people who would get to the end of my story and feel it earned 5 stars. From that perspective, could present tense be holding me back when a few 5-star votes could mean the difference between placing and not placing?

(I'm not thinking of changing anything because of a comment, but at the same time it has me asking myself what the costs are of certain stylistic decisions)

 

[TheLobster]

If they got to the end and cared enough to comment, it couldn’t have been that bad. To me, for example, the present tense is often a dealbreaker; I bounce off of most stories written in it.

And yes, that’s despite the fact the VD entry I’m writing right now is in present tense. Don’t ask me how that works.

 

[ElectricBlue]

A comment I got on a story was about not liking the present tense (I write a lot of first person present). This was for a competition, so my goal was to maximize the number of people who would get to the end of my story and feel it earned 5 stars. From that perspective, could present tense be holding me back when a few 5-star votes could mean the difference between placing and not placing?

(I'm not thinking of changing anything because of a comment, but at the same time it has me asking myself what the costs are of certain stylistic decisions)

The most common literary style is third person, past tense. Make of that what you will, but I doubt it's got anything to do with your story placing in a contest or not. There's far more to story telling than tense.

 

[VerbalAbuse]

Don’t ask me how that works.

why not?

 

[Z_TheWriter]

I would think that present tense will get you fewer readers. It's just not something people are used to in the same way. If I've understood correctly, contests are about the average rating, not the quantity. As long as you meet the minimum number of ratings to place, it could actually be an advantage that only people who like that style or are interested enough to push through anyway will rate the story.

 

[StillStunned]

The most common literary style is third person, past tense.

And this means that any other choice has to be justified. But it's becoming more and more common to write in 1P present, perhaps because writers see it as an easy way to engage the reader.

I won't automatically nope out of present tense anymore (I've used it myself), or out of 1P or even 2P, but I'll give up quickly if I notice that it doesn't serve a purpose and the story would work just as well - or better - in a more conventional style.

But my tastes aren't universal, and the popularity of so many books written in 1P present proves that there's a market. I'm just not part of that market.

 

[ElectricBlue]

But my tastes aren't universal, and the popularity of so many books written in 1P present proves that there's a market. I'm just not part of that market.

True. I find it exhausting to read, because it's constant, there's no ebb and flow, there's no chance to slow down. I can't think of many (any?) mainstream writers who can pull it off successfully, not for a sustained novel length work. Which means the chances of your average Lit author, even less so.

It also fails for me in terms of story telling, because how can the narrator be in the moment, but still has time to narrate the story? It's a failure of story telling logic for me, which I can't get past. Short pieces maybe, but not sustained longer works.

I've got a vague feeling I've tried it myself, but unless I checked a whole bunch of stories, I wouldn't actually know. Which suggests how unmemorable it was for me, as a go-to style.

 

[StillStunned]

I've got a vague feeling I've tried it myself, but unless I checked a whole bunch of stories, I wouldn't actually know. Which suggests how unmemorable it was for me, as a go-to style.

I've tried it once (Ben's Big Mistake), using the present tense to deliberately create a sense of immediacy so that the reader shares the narrator's thoughts and emotions as they happen. I wrote a WIWAW about it too: WIWAW: Ben's Big Mistake.

To quote from that WIWAW, which in turn quotes from a discussion here in the AH:

It annoys me. Not the first person, that's fine. Present tense is what puts me off, but I'm struggling to say why.

Maybe it's as simple as not being what I'm used to. Maybe it's more subtle: first person present tense seems to prioritise the narrator over the reader. As the reader, I don't feel like the narrator is sharing with me, I feel like I'm intruding on the narrator's thoughts.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I wrote the first couple of stories in my Hannah Has Plans series as first person present as they were short, and I wanted immediacy. Once it became clear that the stories were becoming longer and the series had legs, I tried writing one in the past tense. I got about 500 words in before deciding that 'no, this series is sticking with present'. Since the whole series is the male MC trying to keep up with his sexually adventurous and 'trickster' girlfriend, the sense of being in the moment and not knowing what is coming next seems to work for me. (if not for my readers - who knows?)

 

[Purechicanery]

People have their preferences. You don't need to care about them, and it's futile to try to cater to all of them.

(I had a quick look at your most recent story, which I'm assuming is the one you're talking about; I didn't read the whole thing, but what I did read, I think it reads well.)

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I used 1p present tense only once - in my story game. I think it worked there perfectly due to the format. 2p would also work well, but I didn't like the awkwardness.

First person past tense is something that definitely works well in stories and I might write a story in it. Present tense is usually a deal breaker for me, unless it's a story game.

 

[Purechicanery]

For an example of a relatively popular book using first person, present tense:

The Hunger Games.

 

[Writer61]

Yikes, I struggle to maintain a consistent tense within a paragraph, let alone a whole story.

Mind you, my average rating is 4.6, so it is not doing too much damage.

 

[SimonDoom]

I don't hate present tense, but I don't use it as an author. I don't see any reason to. Its drawback, IMO, is that it calls attention to itself. When I read a story in present tense, I notice it, and that gets in the way of immersion in the story.

As a reader I've also noticed that authors frequently have trouble with coordinating tenses when they write in present tense. That's grating to me.

I don't know if it makes a difference in terms of Literotica success. I think there are plenty of stories in present tense that have done fine. HeyAll often uses present tense and his success doesn't seem to have suffered.

 

[iwatchus]

I would think that present tense will get you fewer readers. It's just not something people are used to in the same way.

Doesn't this depend immensely on genre? My understanding, and I just spot checked a couple I have easy access to, is that almost all Romances (commercially sold) are first person present. I don't know if this extends to historical romances, which may be more of OP interest.

On the other hand, I know almost all SF&F is written third past. From what I can remember, classical literature is all over the place.

To OP's original thoughts, there is also a difference of readership versus rating (and winning a contest). Maybe present attracts more emotional readsrs who are more likely to vote 5's for stories they like (which better be the case if you expect to win a prize), whereas past keeps more hard-nosed readers, more likely to find flaw. (I think detective stories are also past generally.) If you're interest is maximizing ratings, you want to make sure the readers who make it to the end and feel compelled to vote are friendlier. And you don't really care if that is 40% or 60% of the potential readership. For ratings, you care about the sentiments of the people who engage enough to vote, not the number of people.

And before anyone complains that professional writers need to care about the number of people, I will say that professional writers care about the number of people who will engage enough to be willing to plunk down money for your book, which is already a small slice of whatever potential readership pie exists. Don't try to make everyone happy; make your core readership as happy as possible. Fuck the others. Every book ever written has haters.

EDIT: I will note, in contrary to what I said above, all three winners of this event were romances in past tense.

 

[MelissaBaby]

The issue is not whether people love or hate present tense. The question was whether writing in it is a liability in a contest.

I think the answer is an unequivocal yes. There are plenty of people who don't hate it, but don't like it either. They may very well read your story, like it and vote. But they won't give you a 5.

If you want to win a contest, the first rule of thumb is don't annoy anybody.

 

[alohadave]

From that perspective, could present tense be holding me back when a few 5-star votes could mean the difference between placing and not placing?

For any choice you make, there is someone who won't like it, and is willing to tell you why they don't like it. They are just making noise.

Story is everything. Make that good and you'll get results. Unless it's second person perspective. Those are a pass for me. (now I'm the random asshole with a comment).

 

[Writer61]

Doesn't this depend immensely on genre? My understanding, and I just spot checked a couple I have easy access to, is that almost all Romances (commercially sold) are first person present. I don't know if this extends to historical romances, which may be more of OP interest.

I have seen it said that the present tense is often used in YA, crime, and thriller genres.

My latest plot bunny is crime-adjacent, so I am going to stick to present if I can.

 

[StillStunned]

Unless it's second person perspective. Those are a pass for me. (now I'm the random asshole with a comment).

My Born to Run Challenge story is rated 4.73, so there's definitely a market for 2P. A few comments mentioned that the 2P is barely noticeable, though.

 

[TheRedLantern]

The issue is not whether people love or hate present tense. The question was whether writing in it is a liability in a contest.

I think the answer is an unequivocal yes. There are plenty of people who don't hate it, but don't like it either. They may very well read your story, like it and vote. But they won't give you a 5.

If you want to win a contest, the first rule of thumb is don't annoy anybody.

This is what I was suspecting. At the top end of the competitions, a few hundredths of a point can mean the difference between first place and not placing, so I'm just looking for areas where I might have lost 0.01 point.

 

[TheLobster]

If you want to win a contest, the first rule of thumb is don't annoy anybody.

While I doubt this was your intention, I can't help but read this as a strong argument against holding official contests in general.

If what they really do is encourage more of the same, unoriginal, formulaic tripe that is already flooding the site on a daily basis, then I don't see much value in them beyond the monetary one — which is only cashed in by the three people on top. They are great opportunities for more exposure, especially if you're an up-and-coming author, but it's hard to disagree they don't read allow for putting your best, original foot forward as you're trying to attract new readers.

I wish we had fewer of them, so that they don't suck out all the air of the room and suffocate the really interesting events, ie, author challenges.

 

[yowser]

I think it all depends on author skill. An exemplar of present tense writing is Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policemen's Union. I think I was a third of the way through before realising it was present tense (and usually my style-antenna is fairly sensitively tuned.) No stumbles and it helps that it's a brilliant novel.

 

[THBGato]

I would think that present tense will get you fewer readers. It's just not something people are used to in the same way.

This depends on age. A lot of Young Adult novels are written present tense, first person (e.g. Hunger Games, Divergent). So younger readers are going to be quite used to it.

I have stories in 1st person present tense. They are no more or less popular than those written in other povs.

 

[MillieDynamite]

For me, I love to write in the present tense, especially in the first person. However, it is the hardest tense to remain in while writing. If written well, with consistent tense usage, except in speech when talking about something in the past, it feels the most intimate. So, despite the vast majority of readers, like @TheLobster, liking something else, I'll continue to use it about one-third of the time.

 

[crookedletter]

This is what I was suspecting. At the top end of the competitions, a few hundredths of a point can mean the difference between first place and not placing, so I'm just looking for areas where I might have lost 0.01 point.

I understand this impulse, but I can't help but think that way madness lies. There are so many things that can bolster or shave your score down by those margins. You might get downvoted because you use present tense; you might get downvoted because your protagonist is named Margaret and various readers in their infinite fickleness take issue with that name for one reason or another. Then again there might be others who only want to read present tense, and refuse to read any story not about Margarets.

There isn't a formula that will check everyone's boxes and ensure your story gets the fairest shake possible. Write the best story you can; let the story tell you what voice and tense to use, not some theoretical construct of the Universal Reader.