Present Tense or Past Tense?

[Harick]

So, I'm in the middle of writing my VN, but I've sort of hit a snag. I'm not sure what tense I should use.

It's written in first person so that I can show the protagonist's thought process, so I started writing in present tense as I thought pat tense would sort of distance him from the action.
Like it would be sorta weird if he was hurt and his narration was affected because of that if it is in past tense. But writing in present tense seems so awkward.

I'm torn on what I should do now, so help please.

[Stormsource]

Could you not switch?
"On my way to school I saw Kita."
"It was then that Kita pulled out a knife."
Player "KITA WHAT THE SHIT ARE YOU DOING?!?"

In that instance, the narration happens in past tense whilst the vocal reaction happens in present tense.

[Harick]

Could you not switch?
"On my way to school I saw Kita."
"It was then that Kita pulled out a knife."
Player "KITA WHAT THE SHIT ARE YOU DOING?!?"

In that instance, the narration happens in past tense whilst the vocal reaction happens in present tense.

Maybe, but most of his reactions is a part of his narration. I could have two different narrations, inner thoughts and reactions, and narration about what's happening, but I'm not sure how to differentiate them.

[SundownKid]

The most common tense is probably present, in VN's. But, it really doesn't matter either way. Just do what you prefer.

[RotGtIE]

First or third person narration in the past tense is the most common type for novels in general. Present tense tends to be rare because it is awkward for a reader to be told about a story as if it is happening in the moment of the retelling, and second person is almost unheard of unless the reader is expected to fully self-insert into the role of the protagonist to the point of piloting an avatar.

For my part, I use a first person narrator in the past tense by default, and switch to third person when I need to cover events beyond the perspective of the first person narrator. First person past tense narration has a lot of advantages, not the least of which being the opportunity to develop the character of the narrator by directly sharing their thoughts with the reader at any time in the story. I would strongly recommend it unless you have a special reason to use another type of narration and tense.

[Harick]

Okay,I should be more specific, so any help would be nice.
I want to write in past tense as it doesn't seem so awkward, but there are parts of the story that I think wouldn't fit. Like the story starts with the protagonist reminiscing, which would sort of a information dump. That scene is referred again in the story so I don't think I can cut it or maybe I could, I'll think about it.

Is there a way I could have that scene in past tense? If so I'll just use past tense, but if I can't I'll just have to use present tense. Or I'll just change the story a bit but that'll just be a pain maybe not a huge pain, whatever I'll think about it

[philat]

In VNs, present tense is probably more common than past tense, honestly. I'm also probably more used to present tense for internet writing in general. But I agree with SundownKid -- I don't think it really matters, just do whatever you're more comfortable with.

Present tense narration can obviously switch to past tense if the events are in the 'past' as opposed to the 'present' of the person narrating -- "I'm sitting on a bus going to nowhere. How did I get here? Well, it all started when... (bliddy blah blah) The bus stops abruptly, interrupting my thoughts."

In terms of whether or not to rewrite, however: as a rule, if you, the author, are unsure whether the scene would feel like info dump, basically all readers are going to feel like it's info dump.

[Harick]

I forgot another thing! There must be something wrong with me, like seriously.
The VN is an action VN, so I'm not sure how to do action scenes in present tense, though my biggest problem is the first person perspective. The more I think about it I've made a whole lot of bad decisions. Though I've read several first person action VNs so I guess I can just follow their example...

In VNs, present tense is probably more common than past tense, honestly. I'm also probably more used to present tense for internet writing in general. But I agree with SundownKid -- I don't think it really matters, just do whatever you're more comfortable with.

Present tense narration can obviously switch to past tense if the events are in the 'past' as opposed to the 'present' of the person narrating -- "I'm sitting on a bus going to nowhere. How did I get here? Well, it all started when... (bliddy blah blah) The bus stops abruptly, interrupting my thoughts."

In terms of whether or not to rewrite, however: as a rule, if you, the author, are unsure whether the scene would feel like info dump, basically all readers are going to feel like it's info dump.

Yeah, probably. I guess I'll just continue writing it as it is, and if it turns out horrible I'll just rewrite it in past tense.

[verysunshine]

I forgot another thing! There must be something wrong with me, like seriously.
The VN is an action VN, so I'm not sure how to do action scenes in present tense, though my biggest problem is the first person perspective. The more I think about it I've made a whole lot of bad decisions. Though I've read several first person action VNs so I guess I can just follow their example...

In VNs, present tense is probably more common than past tense, honestly. I'm also probably more used to present tense for internet writing in general. But I agree with SundownKid -- I don't think it really matters, just do whatever you're more comfortable with.

Present tense narration can obviously switch to past tense if the events are in the 'past' as opposed to the 'present' of the person narrating -- "I'm sitting on a bus going to nowhere. How did I get here? Well, it all started when... (bliddy blah blah) The bus stops abruptly, interrupting my thoughts."

In terms of whether or not to rewrite, however: as a rule, if you, the author, are unsure whether the scene would feel like info dump, basically all readers are going to feel like it's info dump.

Yeah, probably. I guess I'll just continue writing it as it is, and if it turns out horrible I'll just rewrite it in past tense.

You do action scenes in the present tense the same way you do action scenes in any other tense. If the VN starts with the protagonist reminiscing, people are already going to know that the protagonist has a 99% chance of survival. The action scenes will still be full of tension if you write them with good pacing. Tense has nothing to do with it.

As an example, I took a sample of an action scene from Animal Farm. Here is the original:
"Napoleon stood sternly surveying his audience; then he uttered a
high-pitched whimper. Immediately the dogs bounded forward, seized four of
the pigs by the ear and dragged them, squealing with pain and terror, to
Napoleon's feet. The pigs' ears were bleeding, the dogs had tasted blood,
and for a few moments they appeared to go quite mad. To the amazement of
everybody, three of them flung themselves upon Boxer. Boxer saw them
coming and put out his great hoof, caught a dog in mid-air, and pinned
him to the ground. The dog shrieked for mercy and the other two fled with
their tails between their legs. Boxer looked at Napoleon to know whether
he should crush the dog to death or let it go. Napoleon appeared to change
countenance, and sharply ordered Boxer to let the dog go, whereat Boxer
lifted his hoof, and the dog slunk away, bruised and howling."

And here it is with the tenses changed:
"Napoleon stands sternly surveying his audience; then he utters a
high-pitched whimper. Immediately the dogs bound forward, seize four of
the pigs by the ear and drag them, squealing with pain and terror, to
Napoleon's feet. The pigs' ears are bleeding, the dogs had tasted blood,
and for a few moments they appear to go quite mad. To the amazement of
everybody, three of them fling themselves upon Boxer. Boxer sees them
coming and puts out his great hoof, catching a dog in mid-air, and pins
him to the ground. The dog shrieks for mercy and the other two flee with
their tails between their legs. Boxer looks at Napoleon to know whether
he should crush the dog to death or let it go. Napoleon appears to change
countenance, and sharply orders Boxer to let the dog go, whereat Boxer
lifts his hoof, and the dog slinks away, bruised and howling."

[Nephalos]

I have the strong tendency to write in the past tense, but I've been told that this lends a passive voice to my story. In some cases it's true, but in some cases, a more distant and reflective voice is best - especially in slice-of-life VNs.

I'd say writing in the present tense is vastly more common in VNs, however.

[Yolo400]

depends what's happening and what's happened, really.

also depends on how you want the person reading to feel.

[xcmike]

English is not my first language, so I am having the same problems as you.

I remember when I was in High School my English teacher said many times we always write stories with past tense. And that's pretty much what I did all the time back in High School.
So I am writing my own VN currently with a first-person perspective. Narrations in past tense, inner thoughts in present tense and dialogues are, of course, present tense.

But when I played a bit of Griasia no Kajitsu yesterday, I noticed everything was in present tense. So I tried to change my writing to present tense and it felt really awkward.

Then I played World End Economica and WEE was written in past tense.

I am really confused now but I guess in the end it doesn't really matter as long as we keep it consistent?

[Erotome]

English is not my first language, so I am having the same problems as you.

I remember when I was in High School my English teacher said many times we always write stories with past tense. And that's pretty much what I did all the time back in High School.
So I am writing my own VN currently with a first-person perspective. Narrations in past tense, inner thoughts in present tense and dialogues are, of course, present tense.

But when I played a bit of Griasia no Kajitsu yesterday, I noticed everything was in present tense. So I tried to change my writing to present tense and it felt really awkward.

Then I played World End Economica and WEE was written in past tense.

I am really confused now but I guess in the end it doesn't really matter as long as we keep it consistent?

Present tense narration is difficult to pull off successfully, which is why teachers offer the generally useful advice to use past tense. Present tense is typically only useful when you're trying to create the impression of immediacy - as if the characters are acting and feeling in the same time-space as the reader. Obviously, this works best in scenarios that are built on urgency or where the characters are supposed to be at the same knowledge level as the reader (in terms of what's going on in the story).

You can use tense shifts for stylistic effects (like trying to disorient a reader's sense of time and place), but consistency is generally key.