Present tense vs past tense: which should I use?
- Past tense is the conventional, most common narrative tense.
- Present tense creates immediacy and urgency.
- Past tense is flexible and invisible to most readers.
- Present tense can feel tiring or affected to some readers.
- Consistency matters more than the choice itself.
Past tense ("she walked") is the conventional default — comfortable, flexible, and invisible to readers, which is why most fiction uses it. Present tense ("she walks") creates a sense of immediacy and urgency, putting events in the now, and has become common in some genres like YA. But present tense can feel tiring or affected to some readers over a long work. Neither is better; match the choice to the effect you want, and above all, hold your chosen tense consistently throughout.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Tense is a foundational choice that shapes a story's feel, and writers often pick it by default without considering the effect. Understanding the trade-offs — past tense's comfortable invisibility versus present tense's urgency and its risk of fatigue — lets writers choose deliberately. Equally important is consistency: accidental tense slips are a common error. Knowing the options and committing to one is part of controlling the reader's experience of the story.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Past tense as the conventional default.
- Present tense for immediacy and urgency.
- Past tense's flexibility and invisibility.
- Present tense's risk of reader fatigue.
- Genre conventions to consider.
- Consistency as essential.
Chapter iii·Example
A writer drafts her literary novel in past tense for its comfortable invisibility and flexibility. For a tense, urgent YA thriller, she chooses present tense to put readers in the immediate now. Each choice fits the story's intended effect — and in both, she holds the tense consistently, avoiding the slips that jar readers.
WriteLoom's Plan studio keeps your tense choice in view, so it stays consistent across the draft.
See the Plan studio