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Q&A Can I switch from past tense to present tense in an epilogue?

I agree that it's springing it on the reader a bit, but done properly it can be a powerful tool. An example would be a story about WWII told by a veteran. The main text of the story contains the ...

posted 8y ago by Jesse Williams‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T05:43:11Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/25147
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Jesse Williams‭ · 2019-12-08T05:43:11Z (almost 5 years ago)
I agree that it's springing it on the reader a bit, but done properly it can be a powerful tool. An example would be a story about WWII told by a veteran. The main text of the story contains the events that happened, in the past, told in past tense - as a story like this often would be. When the epilogue comes and the veteran is talking about missing his brothers, or that there are so few of them left, or something like that, the switch can be extremely powerful emotionally.

If it drives the narrative, an emotional response, or benefits the scope of the story, then definitely go for it - just make sure you do it right! :)

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2016-11-05T21:27:46Z (almost 8 years ago)
Original score: 2