Grammar

When crafting a story, you have two big decisions to make before you even get started writing: what point of view are you going to use, and what tense will you write in. I’ve already discussed POV in another post. Today’s entry will talk about verb tense and what benefits and drawbacks come from both past and present tense.

Choosing a tense for your story determines the mood and pacing of your story. This is inherent in the tense you choose, because each has its own feel and garners its own response from the reader. There’s also a stylistic choice going on here, where you want your voice as an author to be heard. So keep all of this in mind as we discuss verb tense.

I will preface this post by warning you guys that I kind of have a love affair with grammar. I don’t claim to be the world’s best grammarian, but I am way more excited about the way that the English language works than I should be. As such, this is likely going to be the first of many posts that discuss grammar, how it functions, and how it can impact your writing.

Today, I’m going to discuss point of view. In its simplest form, point of view is the perspective the reader is taking in the narrative. When used effectively, it can help you show or obscure things from the reader, as well as let them in on things the characters don’t know. It’s arguably one of the two most important decisions you will make as a writer when starting a large project. I’m going to give you a rough overview of POV, pull some examples from my own writing to demonstrate how differing points of view can affect your storytelling, and then talk about how perspective can help or hinder your work.

STOP. It’s grammar time.

Past or Present – Verb Tense in Writing

It’s All About Your Point of View