Blog for Bristol Services Intl.

QUESTION (from a mystery writer client): You suggested to me to have same trait or unique aspect to my main character. The interest, hobby, talent, foible, quirky, fun thing that pulls my character out of stereotype and into memorable: should it impact his job? Or is it just part of his personality that makes him memorable, but doesn’t really have anything to do with the plot line?

ANSWER: Everything about any personality somehow effects a person’s job. Even cultivating orchids. Think of the traits involved for the hobby of orchid enthusiast: patience (infinite, since they take forever to grow!), a gentle touch (delicate plants), and an eye of details (each cultivator has very subtle color and pattern differences). So these are 3 traits that DO help a main character in their job even if it isn’t directly related to running down a culprit. And any one of these 3 traits could become the deciding factor in the cop resolving a mystery.

BOTTOMLINE: YOU know your main character, I don’t. What might this man do on the sly, something he wouldn’t want anyone to know about (might seem too sissy or odd to others)? Or what might he want to be known for (the would-be singer or artist or whatever)? Or what calms and centers him when he’s off-duty? It needs to fit what you already have for him. And the traits that make him good at this unique and interesting thing should translate to traits that make him a good cop too.

HINT: Use the right-side menu and click through on Characterization in the bottom list. You’ll find the original article I wrote to this same client explaining more in-depth about character quirks, etc.

A writer sent me a manuscript for my editing services and used present tense in his story. He also asked be if present tense was better or if he should use past tense.

 Present Tense—the Pros and Cons: The author nearly disappears (which is a good thing) when a story is written in present tense. The reader ends up feeling plopped right into the immediate action. This sounds perfect. Yet, at times, this approach becomes awkward, especially when slower scenes, reflective areas, etc. naturally occur.

More important…it tends to fatigue the reader. It can feel like shouting or pointing here and there rapidly. If handled deftly, the reader will likely never even really notice it after the initial few pages. But, at other times, present tense can make some scenes feel “pushed” on the reader.

Additionally, showing flashbacks or changing points of view can be tricky. The flashbacks would have to be in past tense but transition smoothly to the current storyline–which is in present tense. Yes, it can all be done. But, especially for newer writers, all the handling of present tense can detract from what is important–the story itself.

 Past Tense—The Pros: That’s right; there really are no “cons” to past tense. Past tense is the usual, normal, standard way of writing fiction. New writers tend to think this is, therefore, boring. But in reality, it is the way we are used to hearing and reading stories. So rather than getting “creative” and using present tense to spice up your writing, it is better to learn the tools that really DO matter (“show, don’t tell,” “activate,” “deepen character,” etc.) than to make yourself use present tense.

 But … Is This Your Voice?  However, maybe you, as a writer, are just a natural at present tense. This might be a “signature” aspect of your books. At an early stage in writing, who is to say? If you found yourself writing in present tense from the outset, maybe this is a sign to keep with it. But my suggestion is to start with your present tense until you get a few scenes done. They rewrite just one tense scene, a couple of pages in length, in past tense. Keep a close eye on the verbs and activate them as much as you can (something every writer should always do anyway). Then do the same for a slow scene. Let them sit for a day and then read both scenes all by themselves, pretending (if you can) you just picked up someone else’s  book to read. See what you think. Do they carry the action and emotion as well as they did in your original version where you used present tense? Can you see the scenes clearly and want to read on? If so, I’d suggest using past tense. 

The Decision: Only you can make the decision on which tense to use. My encouragement to use past tense is simply because I hate to see any capable writer and strong story possibly be negatively impacted by the verb tense used. The normal past tense isn’t a bore and present tense isn’t forbidden—these are just tools, to be used carefully, like all the other writing tools.