It is sensible to practise writing in different narrative voices and tenses to get a feel for the strengths and weakness of the different techniques. You will soon discover which you are most comfortable with, and therefore most likely to use in an exam.
This narrative style allows you to describe:
Characters and settings
Story events
Action, speech and thoughts
Sense information - sights, sounds, smell, taste, touch
from any perspective.
a) Past Tense - This is probably the most used traditional technique, going all the way back to oral storytelling.
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‘Meanwhile, around the edges of the Fen country, the police were knocking on doors, searching attics and outhouses, inspecting papers and interrogating everyone who who claimed to have seen a blonde little girl; and in Oxford the search was even fiercer. ‘
Northern Lights - Philip Pullman
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b ) Present Tense - This style is the same as the first, but closer and more immediate for the reader.
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‘Nobody is sure how long Klara is inside. To Varya, it feels like hours. She sits against the wall with her knees to her chest. She is thinking of fairy tales: witches who take children, witches who eat them. A tree of panic sprouts in her stomach and grows until the door cracks open.’
The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin
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You can combine past and present tenses effectively in a story if there is a good reason. For example you can tell the main story in present tense and use past tense for flashback, or use past tense for both. Experiment and see which you prefer, but be careful not to get muddled
A first person narrator is usually a character in the story, so the whole story is experienced through your main character’s consciousness - their eyes, thoughts, speech and actions. It provides a very intense focus on your main character and can be very involving for the reader.
It can be quite limiting though, since you only have one perspective. You can’t write about what other characters are thinking, or refer to things that your main character is not aware of. In third person fiction, on the other hand, you can create tension by giving the reader information that characters themselves are unaware of, such as the identity of a thief or killer in a crime story.
a) Past Tense
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‘ “The smell of burning still makes me uneasy,”I remarked. “It’s not so long ago it meant bombings and fire.” I went on gazing out on to the garden for a moment, then added: “Next month, it will be five years since Michuko died.”
Matsudo remained silent for a while. Then I heard him say behind me:
“These days, a smell of burning usually means a neighbour is clearing his garden.” ‘
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An Artist of The Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro
b) Present Tense
As with third person narration, use of present tense makes it more immediate, with action presented as if it is occurring now, in front of the reader. It is a very popular choice in Young Adult fiction and action stories, because it makes it easy for the reader to identify with the main character, being inside their head.
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‘When I stop crying, finally, I find myself on a cold step in a little courtyard place, with five or six storeys of old brick and narrow blind windows on each side, weeds drilling up through paving slabs and dandelion seeds drifting around like snow in a snowglobe.’
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The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell
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NOTE: If you write in first person, you will inevitably write in third person as well when you refer to other characters. However, your third person narration will be seen through the mind of a character telling their story, rather than as an author (you) writing your story.
You can practise writing a short section of a story idea, using each of the four techniques in turn, and notice the differences in the way that the story feels. Which methods seem to be more successful, and why?
Good luck with your tale-telling!