Comments on: Present Tensions, part 1 http://writingandallthat.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/present-tensions-part-1/ Caroline Rance's debut historical novel, Kill-Grief, has just been released by Picnic Publishing. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:38:12 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Robert http://writingandallthat.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/present-tensions-part-1/#comment-8 Robert Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:49:30 +0000 http://writingandallthat.wordpress.com/?p=60#comment-8 Hi Caroline, apologies, a not entirely relevant post: I found your blog through WriteWords and thought you might be interested in this Short-Story Competition from CompletelyNovel - a new online community for writers and readers that lets you share your work online and sell it as a paperback. They are celebrating their launch to the public in October with a competition for short stories to appear in their CompletelyNovel Launch Anthology. Winners are being selected by people from across the publishing industry. More details at http://www.completelynovel.com/home/competition Thanks Robert Hi Caroline, apologies, a not entirely relevant post:

I found your blog through WriteWords and thought you might be interested in this Short-Story Competition from CompletelyNovel – a new online community for writers and readers that lets you share your work online and sell it as a paperback. They are celebrating their launch to the public in October with a competition for short stories to appear in their CompletelyNovel Launch Anthology. Winners are being selected by people from across the publishing industry.
More details at http://www.completelynovel.com/home/competition
Thanks
Robert

]]> By: Tris http://writingandallthat.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/present-tensions-part-1/#comment-7 Tris Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:30:24 +0000 http://writingandallthat.wordpress.com/?p=60#comment-7 I think you know present tense is working when you don't notice it's there? In ML it just feels absolutely right - I wasn't consciously aware of it at all though there were other aspects of the writing that made me gasp out loud - same as I didn't think - oh yes - first person narrative. The character's voice just draws you into the story - but I can readily believe it is a lot tougher than the author makes it look. I think you know present tense is working when you don’t notice it’s there?

In ML it just feels absolutely right – I wasn’t consciously aware of it at all though there were other aspects of the writing that made me gasp out loud – same as I didn’t think – oh yes – first person narrative. The character’s voice just draws you into the story – but I can readily believe it is a lot tougher than the author makes it look.

]]> By: Anne Brooke http://writingandallthat.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/present-tensions-part-1/#comment-6 Anne Brooke Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:58:05 +0000 http://writingandallthat.wordpress.com/?p=60#comment-6 I must admit I didn't like present tense novels - until I wrote "Maloney's Law", where the MC's voice came into my head fully-formed and totally and always in the present tense. When I tried to write Paul in the past tense, the whole thing died. Weirdly the energy of the novel only came when I accepted that was how it was (or is!) and went back to the present tense. In that case, it is how Paul sees his world - he's time-obsessed due to family trauma in the past - and I believe (as do others) that it works. I don't reckon I'll be doing it again though - it's jolly hard work! A xxx I must admit I didn’t like present tense novels – until I wrote “Maloney’s Law”, where the MC’s voice came into my head fully-formed and totally and always in the present tense. When I tried to write Paul in the past tense, the whole thing died. Weirdly the energy of the novel only came when I accepted that was how it was (or is!) and went back to the present tense. In that case, it is how Paul sees his world – he’s time-obsessed due to family trauma in the past – and I believe (as do others) that it works.

I don’t reckon I’ll be doing it again though – it’s jolly hard work!

A
xxx

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