The question at hand...

[khiemtran]

... can I maintain First Person Present for an entire novel, without getting tedious?

It's not something I would have tried a year ago, but I think I've got more of a handle now on how I might do it.

Comments

[zornhau.livejournal.com]

Yes. Charles Stross has done it at least once. It's also common in Chick Lit.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, litfic too. I was the bookshop the other day and they had a display of "The Nation's Top 100 Books". It was surprising how many of the modern litfic books used present tense, at least in part.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I don't know. _One_ can, but can you?

Personally, I find present tense a turnoff, but that's my own taste.

Valendon mixes his tenses, and I haven't been able to train him out of it...

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Personally, I find present tense a turnoff, but that's my own taste.

Yes, that's the thing. Even though I have an FPP voice that seems to work for the story at hand, there's still the nagging thought that if I could make it work in third person past, it would be even better.

Only one way to find out, I guess.

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

Tag a note at the end of your file: when it's finished, I'll read it and tell you whether it works for me.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind offer. It might be a while though.