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Dogen

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11274 Location: PDX
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Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:01 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, I was pleased with the price, and the people I talked to were nice. I just find the whole industry backwards, from a customer service perspective. _________________ "Worse comes to worst, my people come first, but my tribe lives on every country on earth. I’ll do anything to protect them from hurt, the human race is what I serve." - Baba Brinkman |
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Samsally
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 7536
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Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:27 am Post subject: |
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Why is it so hard to decide on a tense to use when writing? I just float between past and present tense CONSTANTLY and then I'm like "Oh I think I used past tense the most" but when I go back to fix the present tense stuff I basically rewrite the whole damned thing and aaaagh.
I am a terrible writer. _________________ Samsally the GrayAce |
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Darqcyde

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11917 Location: A false vacuum abiding in ignorance.
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Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 9:17 am Post subject: |
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We talk inconsistently, and generally we write how we talk. Also, it all depends on what you're writing for ad who your audience is. Unless it's some literary types, most people hardly notice tense. I can easily describe something currently happening with past tense verbs:
He ran around the outer edge of the clearing, then leapt into the center.
After thinking about this more, and having some more coffee, it's not really about tense, it's about point of view. If you're writing in third person, it's pretty much all going to sound like this. If you do shift perspectives, just leave a blank line in order to show the shift. IN general, unless you're writing papers the require APA or MLA, use the Chicago Style: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html _________________ ...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.
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sporko

Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 2900
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Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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i have decided to quit the medical field and become a professional cosplayer.
...who do i talk to in order to make the big money in this? i'm thinking that december is a good time to have a solid career in line with this.
yes?
i know, i'm being pretty realistic about my life right now. _________________
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DeD CHiKn

Joined: 03 Aug 2006 Posts: 10229 Location: Baltimore, Maryla*gunshot*
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Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 3:36 am Post subject: |
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Step one: have disposable money, trust funds usually work.
Step two: be attractive. |
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Yinello

Joined: 09 May 2012 Posts: 3463
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Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 4:34 am Post subject: |
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Samsally wrote: | Why is it so hard to decide on a tense to use when writing? I just float between past and present tense CONSTANTLY and then I'm like "Oh I think I used past tense the most" but when I go back to fix the present tense stuff I basically rewrite the whole damned thing and aaaagh.
I am a terrible writer. |
I have this same problem as well. I'm currently writing something in first person but automatically wrote in past tense. Sometimes I switched to present tense because sometimes things happen right now for this character. But then it gets confusing because how can it feel like a diary when it's happening right now? Gah. |
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sporko

Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 2900
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Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 6:59 am Post subject: |
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DeD CHiKn wrote: | Step one: have disposable money, trust funds usually work.
Step two: be attractive. |
well fuck. :/ _________________
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Felgraf
Joined: 10 Jul 2012 Posts: 734
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Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:20 am Post subject: |
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Yinello wrote: | Samsally wrote: | Why is it so hard to decide on a tense to use when writing? I just float between past and present tense CONSTANTLY and then I'm like "Oh I think I used past tense the most" but when I go back to fix the present tense stuff I basically rewrite the whole damned thing and aaaagh.
I am a terrible writer. |
I have this same problem as well. I'm currently writing something in first person but automatically wrote in past tense. Sometimes I switched to present tense because sometimes things happen right now for this character. But then it gets confusing because how can it feel like a diary when it's happening right now? Gah. |
Well, if it helps wrap your head around it:
You can write first person current tense about events that have happened in a character's past. Have you ever told a story (about a past event) using present tense? Thinking of it that way might help.
"And then, I leap to the side, deftly bapping the mugger's head with my trusty wiffle bat!" _________________ "No, but evil is still being --Is having reason-- Being reasonable! Mousie understands? Is always being reason. Is punishing world for not being... Like in head. Is always reason. World should be different, is reason."
-Ed, from Digger |
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Yinello

Joined: 09 May 2012 Posts: 3463
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Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 9:09 am Post subject: |
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I suppose that makes sense. |
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Darqcyde

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11917 Location: A false vacuum abiding in ignorance.
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Samsally
Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 7536
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Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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Aaah, hmm. I'm not sure what you call what I prefer? I know it's past tense (I've decided on it, pretty arbitrarily, but there is no going back now).
It's definitely not first person, but I'm fuzzy about the difference between third person and second person. It's like third person, but with special insight into the thought process of one of the characters.
I mean okay saying it like that makes it sound way fancier than it is, when really I just want an excuse to write stupid shit like this:
Quote: | “I don’t know how you like this show.” It was a quiet Sunday and they were both watching Star Trek because as far as Laura was concerned, quiet Sunday’s were made with Star Trek marathons and popcorn in mind. Technically, Derek was pretending to read a book and just happened to be in the living room, but Laura was totally on to him by this point.
“Tribbles, Derek.” She said, as though that explained everything. On the screen, Spock was petting a ball of fluff while the crew surrounding him smirked. |
(If anybody thinks it's weird she has my name, you are right, it is kind of weird. Entertainingly, I didn't name the character, I just resurrected her for my own nefarious purposes. Like Star Trek. Shut up.) _________________ Samsally the GrayAce |
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Jinx

Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 3656 Location: America, fuck yeah!
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Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:10 am Post subject: |
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Second-person is rarely used in fiction. Most of the sentence would begin with, "You . . . "
That's definitely third-person, and likely third person, limited POV. We know what Laura is thinking and feeling, though based on your explanation, we probably don't know anyone else's.
Third Person voices _________________ The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference.
- Charles Darwin |
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Darqcyde

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11917 Location: A false vacuum abiding in ignorance.
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Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 11:03 am Post subject: |
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The added challenge in third person objective is that you don't know people's names until someone else uses them:
The man in the long trench coat waled up to the security officer.
"Morning, Jim," said the security guard.
"Morning, Steve," said Jim.
From your description I have to agree with Jinx and say it sounds like third person subjective (aka limited) is probably what you're going for.
BTW, for reference, this post is second person since I'm addressing you, Samsally, directly. _________________ ...if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.
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Feiticeira
Joined: 08 Jul 2006 Posts: 1798
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Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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I found a mouse on the floor in my kitchen. It's alive, but isn't moving at all. One of its front feet (?) may be broken. I may have stepped on it, I'm not sure
I picked it up and placed it in a small plastic tub. It's still breathing and hasn't made any attempt to move since I picked it up. I prodded it (as gently as possible) while it was on the floor and it tried to move briefly, but couldn't do much more than drag itself on one side before giving up. Urgh! |
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mouse

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 21170 Location: under the bed
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Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:29 pm Post subject: |
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it's pretty hard to step on a healthy mouse. those legs may be short, but they are fast. so i suspect the mouse was in pretty bad shape to begin with.
which i'm afraid means there's not much you can do to help it. you could try giving it a little water. _________________ aka: neverscared!
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