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You are here: Home / Miscellaneous / Another Change in Writing Plans

Another Change in Writing Plans

November 17, 2011 by Christopher Gronlund 12 Comments

I recently shared the opening to the novel I’m currently working on, A Magic Life.

I planned to start the novel next year, but it became all I was thinking about — so I started it this month. A few chapters in, something happened: I jumped from past tense to present tense.

I’ve only written one thing in present tense in my entire life (well, only one work of fiction; in my day job as a tech writer, almost everything is present tense). My favorite novel (affiliate link) is written in present tense. I’ve liked most novels I’ve read in present tense. So now I’m finally giving it a go.

Since people liked the first bit I shared, here’s a little more…in present tense:

Another Snippet of A Magic Life

She lives in a world of sound and color, lulled to sleep by the growling of tigers and the trumpeting of elephants. In the morning, the squawks of large birds pull her from dreams of faraway places. By breakfast, the calls of roustabouts and singers practicing become background noise that would seem louder than thunder if everything suddenly stopped and gave way to silence. Wherever she turns, a kaleidoscope: the tent, yellow and red, taking over a field of grass as though it were spilled from a bucket. The peeling paint from the train cars gathering on the ground like brittle flakes of colorful snow. Costumes sparkle, the world blurs before her—she will never know what it is to be bored.

It doesn’t stop with just sound and sight—all of June’s senses join the dance. The stench of dung and damp straw bales is oddly soothing, something always there at the bottom of  it all reminding her she lives in a world of extremes. Not many children her age know the scent of pancake makeup and spirit gum. The feel of summer grass beneath her feet as dancers chase fireflies with her in the gloaming will never get old. In contrast to the soft grass and billowing fabrics all around is cold steel: tent poles, cages, and heavy tools. She’s long learned that the rough wood sides of the train car she calls home leave behind splinters if she tries tracing the garish images painted on the outer walls. Finally, there are flavors: cotton candy melting on her tongue, stuffed cabbage and soups cooked by the Hungarians from the horse show, the ever-present taste of sawdust at the back of her throat.

If she lives to be 100, her mind crammed full of a lifetime of thoughts and memories waiting to be forgotten, these days will be the last to go.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous

Comments

  1. CMStewart says

    November 18, 2011 at 7:49 am

    Hooray for present tense!

    And hooray for that snippet, it’s beautiful. Excellent tense choice. The scene pops and buzzes. I can smell it. 🙂

  2. Mark Hosack says

    November 18, 2011 at 10:55 am

    Wow, Chris. That’s beautiful.

  3. Christopher Gronlund says

    November 18, 2011 at 10:57 am

    Thanks, Mark! I hope you’re getting some sleep and writing in between all the new kid fun!

  4. CMStewart says

    November 18, 2011 at 4:38 pm

    Hooray for present tense!

    And hooray for that snippet, it’s beautiful. Excellent tense choice. The scene pops and buzzes. I can smell it. 🙂

    So what made you take the leap in tense?

  5. Christopher Gronlund says

    November 26, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    I wanted to show a passage of time for the character and shifting to present tense just seemed to carry more weight as I rolled through June’s early memories. Past tense made it sound like it was just this voice conveying snippets of her life. As I read passages, it just seemed to pull me out of feeling it, but when I jumped to present tense it sounded right to me. So…I made the leap in tense.

Trackbacks

  1. The Juggling Writer - What's in a Title? says:
    January 10, 2012 at 10:25 pm

    […] I’ve been working on a book called A Magic Life, a story about a female magician rising to fame against the odds in the 40s and 50s. So far, what […]

  2. The Juggling Writer - The Evolution of a Novel says:
    January 13, 2012 at 7:28 am

    […] The entry serves as inspiration to us all, whether the goal is to release your own e-book, or take the traditional route. It’s why I was up early before the day job, today, working on my latest book. […]

  3. The Juggling Writer - Writing the Same Story says:
    January 30, 2012 at 5:32 am

    […] reading The Night Circus (affiliate link). Not that I even remotely considered stopping work on A Magic Life, but I did think, “If this plays out more as this book goes on, I could see somebody […]

  4. The Juggling Writer - In the Shadow of February says:
    February 2, 2012 at 5:05 am

    […] months at the day job, things seem to be getting back to normal. I actually got the chance to open A Magic Life and get some work done, […]

  5. The Juggling Writer - In Defense of Quirky says:
    February 6, 2012 at 5:03 am

    […] I’ve recently mentioned the book I’m currently working on, A Magic Life. […]

  6. The Juggling Writer - Don't Answer Every Question says:
    March 12, 2012 at 5:35 am

    […] I’ve been busy juggling work, writing, and life, I’ve decided to set A Magic Life aside and write a novel that’s not so demanding of deep […]

  7. The Juggling Writer - The Busiest Month says:
    June 14, 2012 at 5:08 am

    […] of my mainstream stuff, it’s been nice getting back to A Magic Life after setting it aside for Old Man and some other […]

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