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Present Tense is KEY 🔑 #authorlife #writingcommunity #writingtips #writersofinstagram #amwriting

25 Jul 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:26

In this short instructional video, the speaker argues that switching action scenes from past to present tense creates immediate tension by removing the comforting safety net of past‑tense narration. Past‑tense verbs ("I ran", "I grabbed") imply survival, whereas present‑tense verbs ("I run", "I grab") keep the outcome uncertain, pulling readers into the moment. The speaker cites Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games as a prime example of present‑tense immersion, where readers feel the peril alongside Katniss. While not advocating present tense for all prose, the speaker suggests using it strategically for high‑stakes scenes. The video ends with a call to action: viewers can comment "checklist" to receive a free scene‑writing checklist.

Chapters

Here's a trick almost no one uses, and it can make your scary, action-packed scenes suck the reader in so they can't stop turning pages. Switch to present tense. Now think about it. When a story is told in past tense— I ran, I grabbed the ledge, I pulled myself up— there's a quiet little promise buried in those verbs. The promise is, I survived. I'm telling you this from the future, so you already know I made it. That safety net is comforting for the reader, and comfort is the last thing you want them feeling in those terrifying, action-packed moments. Present tense rips the net away. I run. I grab the ledge. My fingers slip. Now you genuinely don't know if I make it because I'm not narrating from the some safe place down the road. It's happening right now, and right now anything can go wrong. This is exactly why The Hunger Games is written in present tense. Suzanne Collins puts you in the arena with Katniss, moment to moment. No guarantee she walks out alive. You feel that even if you never once actually notice the tense. Now, I'm not telling you everything you write should be in present tense, but the next time you wanna write something that sucks the reader into the action, try shifting to present tense and see how real it makes it. Now, this is just one thing you have to be able to do at the sentence level writing in the best scenes. And I've got a great tool for you. It's our scene writing checklist. Just put the word checklist down in the comments and I'll send it to you for free.