Keeping tense straight: tips for beginner fiction writers

Narrative tense might sound like a small detail, but it’s one of the elements of writing that helps your story make sense. It tells readers when the action is happening—past, present, or future—and keeps them grounded in your story’s timeline.

When your tense shifts without warning, it can confuse readers or make your writing feel choppy. Every writer struggles with tense consistency at some point, but it's something every writer can master with a little practice and awareness. First things first, this post assumes you know the basic differences between the tenses. If you need a refresher, Louis Harnby has a succinct post on her blog.

Let’s walk through how beginner writers can cultivate that awareness and ensure their manuscript maintains the correct tense from first draft to final polish.

Tip 1: Pick one tense and stick with it

Before writing you'll want to decide what tense you want to use to tell your story. Most contemporary fiction books are written in past tense, but present tense is also popular—especially in young adult and romance fiction.

• Past tense: “She walked into the room and looked around.”

  (The events already happened.)

• Present tense: “She walks into the room and looks around.”

  (The events are happening right now.)

Both work! Just pick one and commit to it for most of your story. Changing your mind later usually means lots of rewriting. Sometimes, of course, you'll need to start writing before you settle on a tense, but be sure to go back, perhaps after you've finished your first chapter, and consider if the tense you've chosen is working for the story.

Tip 2: Watch for sneaky slips

Even experienced writers accidentally switch tenses mid-scene. Here are a few places to watch out for this type of mistake:

Action sentences:

• ❌ “He runs to the door and knocked.”

• ✅ “He runs to the door and knocks.” (present tense)

• ✅ “He ran to the door and knocked.” (past tense)

Dialogue tags:

• ❌ “I can’t believe it,” she says. "Me neither," he replied.

• ✅ “I can’t believe it,” she says. "Me neither," he replies. (present tense)

Memories or flashbacks: If you write a memory in a story that’s already in past tense, use “had” to show it happened even earlier. This is called past perfect tense and is used to describe events or actions that were completed in the past.

• ✅ “She remembered how he had smiled at her that day.”

Tip 3: Use time words to stay grounded

Time words—like now, then, before, after, yesterday, and tomorrow—can help you and your reader keep track of when things are happening. You won't want to overuse them, of course, but when they are well placed, they can help keep the reader anchored in the narrative and unconcerned about mismatched timelines or out-of-order events.

Tip 4: Take extra care with flashbacks and time jumps

If your story moves back and forth in time, that’s fine, but you need to guide readers clearly.

In a past-tense story (a memory example):

“She remembered the day they met. He had been standing by the window. Now she stood there alone.

In a present-tense story:

She remembers the day they met. He was standing by the window. Now she stands there alone.

Notice how both examples use a different tense inside the memory but return to the main tense once the brief memory ends.

Tip 5: Check for tense drifting while revising

Tense drift happens when your verbs slowly shift from one tense to another without you noticing. It’s super common—especially in first drafts. To fix it, you can:

• Read aloud. You’ll catch a lot just by hearing it. Most word processors have some kind of read-aloud function.

• Highlight your verbs. Look at walked, walks, ran, runs, etc. to make sure they match your chosen tense.

• Ask yourself: When is this happening? Right now or in the past? Consider whether the narrative is showing a flashback or memory. That will guide revision of verbs if needed.

• Utilize editing software: There are numerous softwares available to assist writers in revising and self-editing their manuscript. Choose on that works for you. They're not foolproof, but most are sufficient at catching some of the obvious mistakes.

  
  

Tip 6: Change tense, but only if you mean it

Some stories do switch tense on purpose—for example, a present-tense prologue followed by a past-tense main story. That can work beautifully if readers know what’s happening. Make sure any change in tense you make is clear and intentional, not accidental.

Tense is like the rhythm of your story—it tells readers when things are happening and helps them feel oriented in time. Pick one main tense, stick with it, and be gentle with yourself as you practice. If you notice you’ve mixed things up, that’s a good sign—it means you’re developing your writer’s eye. Every writer starts there!