Of Words and Tenses
"I have something up my sleeve," is how I would like to start this post, except that whatever is up my sleeve won't get out.
If you've read THTH, you'll understand that the style of that piece - however it may be defined - is that with which I am most comfortable, as it naturally reflects the workings of my mind (i.e. emotional ramblings). The words flow so easily when I write in present tense.
I've been working for a while now on a new piece, which is intended to be a multi-chaptered fanfiction. The research material I've gathered is, I believe, comprehensive enough, and the general outline of the story is done. When it comes to more technical aspects, I decided to write in past tense as I deemed it more fitting, and therein lies my problem.
I've been on the prologue for over a month, and while the first half of it is not entirely bad, the last scene in itself makes me cringe with how dry it is, and, because of that, I can't seem to finish it. I block every single time; thinking in past tense makes me jittery. It's like bumping into wall every time you try to take a step forward. There are strings of sentences and amalgams of words in my head that are waiting to be written, but they won't translate onto paper/screen.
Of course, I could write in present tense first, and then change the verb sequence, but I find difficulty in writing a scene by itself. I need to see the whole picture, where I'm heading, at least in my mind. And when the work in itself has a past-tense tone, there's a weird dichotomy which arises when I start thinking in present tense again.
Phew, I guess I needed to let that out. I'm ranting like a child right now, but I'm actually pretty excited about this new project. Surely, I'll find a way to get past this - the solution will probably naturally come on its own, as it does for many things in writing - but if you have any comments or advice, I'll be glad to receive them.
- V.
If you've read THTH, you'll understand that the style of that piece - however it may be defined - is that with which I am most comfortable, as it naturally reflects the workings of my mind (i.e. emotional ramblings). The words flow so easily when I write in present tense.
I've been working for a while now on a new piece, which is intended to be a multi-chaptered fanfiction. The research material I've gathered is, I believe, comprehensive enough, and the general outline of the story is done. When it comes to more technical aspects, I decided to write in past tense as I deemed it more fitting, and therein lies my problem.
I've been on the prologue for over a month, and while the first half of it is not entirely bad, the last scene in itself makes me cringe with how dry it is, and, because of that, I can't seem to finish it. I block every single time; thinking in past tense makes me jittery. It's like bumping into wall every time you try to take a step forward. There are strings of sentences and amalgams of words in my head that are waiting to be written, but they won't translate onto paper/screen.
Of course, I could write in present tense first, and then change the verb sequence, but I find difficulty in writing a scene by itself. I need to see the whole picture, where I'm heading, at least in my mind. And when the work in itself has a past-tense tone, there's a weird dichotomy which arises when I start thinking in present tense again.
Phew, I guess I needed to let that out. I'm ranting like a child right now, but I'm actually pretty excited about this new project. Surely, I'll find a way to get past this - the solution will probably naturally come on its own, as it does for many things in writing - but if you have any comments or advice, I'll be glad to receive them.
- V.