[Wired]

Has anyone had success with FPPT?

 

[ShayneRutherford]

Suzanne Collins.

 

[Cheyanne]

I write YA contemporary this way and have been successful. Ironically, my editor on my next novel is the same editor of the Hunger Games. LOL.

 

[Paranormal Kitty]

It's very common in young adult.

 

[Janeal Falor]

All of the above.

Also, I've had some moderate success with my FPPT book, You Are Mine. I think it depends on how you write and the market, but the possibility of doing well is definitely there.

 

[Craig Andrews]

FPPT... I don't want to ruffle any feathers, because everyone's taste's are different, but there's no quicker way to turn me away as a reader than FPPT. I will simply not read anything written in FPPT. It's 70-80k separate instances of nails on a chalkboard for me.

 

[3rotic]

Ew.

 

[Joseph John]

I'm the opposite. FPPT all the way. Anything else and I'm all like, ugh, what is this rubbish?

 

[WGg1t3tVqSZGI7]

FPPT... I don't want to ruffle any feathers, because everyone's taste's are different, but there's no quicker way to turn me away as a reader than FPPT. I will simply not read anything written in FPPT. It's 70-80k separate instances of nails on a chalkboard for me.

That's neither here nor there though. You're probably not the target audience for this type of narrative. So what? There are plenty of readers (especially in romance and YA) who love it.

To the OP, check popular books in your genre. That's where you will find the answer to your question. For what it's worth, my bestselling series is written in FPPT.

 

[Kyle Alexander Romines]

Probably one of my favorite series of all time, the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown, is first person present tense. The way he writes, it feels like the story is unfolding right around you. You experience all the protagonist's emotions along with him.

 

[Tizzy]

I'm the opposite. FPPT all the way. Anything else and I'm all like, ugh, what is this rubbish?

This for real?

I mean, I can understand somebody hating a specific person/tense combination, I myself tend to find FPPT jarring (but not FPPaT, as it works great in some categories - particularly YA.) But hating everything but a specific, rather niche tense? Please tell me you jest

 

[Joseph John]

This for real?

I mean, I can understand somebody hating a specific person/tense combination, I myself tend to find FPPT jarring (but not FPPaT, as it works great in some categories - particularly YA.) But hating everything but a specific, rather niche tense? Please tell me you jest

I jest. It seems that online sarcasm is still broken.

But in all seriousness, there are a ton of examples of authors who have done very well with FPPT. And there are a ton of examples of authors who have done very well with other tenses and POVs. What really matters is, what works best for you?

 

[Crystal_]

Are you looking at the charts? There are tons of first person present books doing well.

It's the only way I write. It's very common in all genres of romance, though it is most common in new adult and erotic romance than in the more tradpub/BookBub style contemporary romance.

Of course, YA has tons of first person present as well.

I vastly prefer FPPT to any other combo as a reader and as an author.

 

[nomesque]

It's pretty mainstream these days, especially in the aforementioned genres. It's amusing to see the way trends shift over time - I remember when I wrote Dead(ish) back in the dark ages, FPPT was a lot less popular.

 

[ceejay13]

In a few months I should know. I had no intention to do so but when I opened a doc and started writing, out it came. And I'm not writing a YA novel but a historical about Alexander the Great in Persia.

 

[Anna Drake]

This piece doesn't address the use of present tense, but it is an interesting look at Collins' writing. It also goes on to do an analysis of her writing compared that of Stephanie Meyer and J. K. Rowling.

I've never attempted to write present tense Maybe I'll try it on a short story and see how it goes.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2013/11/hunger_games_catching_fire_a_textual_analysis_of_suzanne_collins_novels.html

 

[Nope]

.

 

[C.D. Watson]

But in all seriousness, there are a ton of examples of authors who have done very well with FPPT.

There may be a ton of authors who've done well with FPPT, success wise. That doesn't mean they've actually mastered writing in FPPT. Almost no one can use it effectively. The vast majority (of the samples I've read, 95% at least) can't.

Yes, it's popular in some genres and subgenres. That doesn't mean you should jump off the bridge with the rest of the pack.

 

[Vale]

First person or third person, present or past tense are the most common combinations. I wouldn't say the choice is invisible, but none of them feels better than the others. They're all good. If you want to go into second person or future tense, just make sure it's meaningful. There's an impression that no one ever does second person... but the reality is that the slush I've read has a good amount of it done poorly. "Do we publish work done in second person?" -- "Yes, did you find a good piece?" -- "Well, no, not a good piece."

But that's more of a literary problem. First person and third person should be invisible =]

 

[C. Gold]

Present tense is like nails on a chalkboard to me, but I have read some stories where it wasn't like reading a daily diary entry. It really depends on the quality of the writing. What's weird though, is I made my character's dreams all present tense and had no problem. In fact, it flowed a little too well back into the normal section of the story and I had to go back and fix it to past once I realized what I'd done.