Comments on: Writing Excuses Episode 25: Viewpoint and Tense Part 2

By: Travis Manley

Travis Manley — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:03:23 +0000

Great podcast guys! Lots of helpful info in this one.

By: Sunni

Sunni — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 23:55:17 +0000

I have a tense question. Is there a computer program that will prompt you to change all present tense in a manuscript to past tense? I seem to be having alot of trouble with this in a fantasy ms I am working on. Also am I right in thinking to do this, I will have to use alot of passive verbs and people in my writers group say this a very bad thing? At this point I am very confused and fear part of my ms is in present tense and part in past tense. That’s why I ask about the computer program to help me straighten the whole thing out without missing anything. I don’t know if there is anything that sophiscated out there. All help will be appreciated. Not sure how to know when you answer so an email from you would be nice.

Thanks, Sunni

By: Keith C

Keith C — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:38:22 +0000

As a good example of varying first person viewpoint how about “Soon I Will Be Invincible!”

By: Hezekiah

Hezekiah — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:07:41 +0000

The conversation has probably moved on, and the following part of this sentence may constitute spoilers, but during most of the Life of Pi, Pi is quite an unreliable narrator.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 13:17:46 +0000

Thank you. I think that’s what I need to do. I find that it is much harder to get the ideas out if I’ve sat and over-thought them.

My big problem is to keep in mind about revisions. I don’t need to write it all out the first time. Get it all down: then make it better.

By: Mike Barker

Mike Barker — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:04:09 +0000

My advice would be to go ahead and get the story down in whatever way feels natural to you. Then in revision you can decide whether you want to change the presentation. But Bradbury and quite a few others have pointed out that you need to take advantage of that first rush, when the words drag you along as fast as you can get them down, when it happens.

I mean, there are some writers who go through character charts, outlines, and all the rest of the stuff before they write. But there are quite a few who start boldly and see where the words take them, then go back and revise.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:39:40 +0000

Mike Barker:

That’s true.

Unfortunately, a story popped into my head, but as a first person. I’m not too sure, how exactly I want to do it. I mean, I’m not too experienced with it as a first person, in whatever tense. Moreover, while I don’t mind experimenting: I would rather know what I’m doing.

By: Mike Barker

Mike Barker — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:06:46 +0000

Ben – one of the difficulties of an unreliable narrator is that by definition they are not keeping faith with the readers, and most readers get upset with that. To hide an ending or events . . . the first person narrator or the third person limited simply doesn’t need to be there to hide an event? As for hiding an ending — you want the reader to be surprised, but feel that it’s a logical or reasonable outcome of what’s come before. You don’t want the reader to feel that they have been lied to or even misled, just that they didn’t make the right interpretation. I suspect that getting the right nuance to the ending is even harder with an unreliable narrator because we (the reader) doesn’t trust him or her?

My personal feeling — first person is harder than third, and first person with an unreliable narrator is even harder. Probably not for the average beginner, but remember Kipling’s advice? “There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays . . . “

By: Eliyanna

Eliyanna — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:32:46 +0000

I think I’m developing “Writing Excuses” disease. Since this episode aired, the short story I’ve been working on has gone from third person past, to cinematic, and finally to first person past. AAAAHHHH!

But I learned a lot.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:14:52 +0000

Admin:

So this could then be “A” way of using “smoke and mirrors” to hide an ending or just certain events: to keep the reader on their toes.

However, would this technique be too advanced for a beginning writer: or would it be good practice anyhow?