So I honestly thought I'd be annoyed, think the man was crazy, and move on to the next article on my list as I clicked on the link. Phillip Pullman Calls Time on the Present Tense? Puh-leese.
But you know what? He made some good points. This one was my favorite:
"It's an abdication of narrative responsibility, in my view. The storyteller, in film or novel, should take charge of the story and not feel shifty about it. Put the camera in the place from which it can see the action most clearly. Make a decision about where that place is. Put it on something steady to stop that incessant jiggling about. Say what happened, and let the reader know when it happened and what caused it and what the consequences were, and tell me where the characters were and who else was present – and while you're at it, I'd like to know what they looked like and whether it was raining."
Have I changed my mind, decided never to write in present tense again? No. I will, however, bookmark this article and refer to it often as a reminder not to sound like this:
"We were there when these things happened. They were real. We didn't have time to adjust the focus on that shot or swing round in time to see who said those words or keep the camera steady. It was all happening there right in front of us. It was all urgent and real."
How about you? Do you read present tense? Write it? Which tense do you prefer in writing or reading?
