In one book can one narrator be in present and the other in past?
I'm currently planning a book series that is told from the first person perspective of 5 different characters. I have a different voice for all of the characters, but I think that 2 of the characters should narrate in the present tense and the others in the past tense. Is that acceptable or is it too jarring for the reader? The only reason I want to do this is that these two characters are really fast-paced, in the moment kind of characters. Thanks for any input you have.
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1 answer
I think it's a mistake.
You certainly can do it and probably get away with it. But why make a tonal shift so severe if there's no real reason for it? Even though these are different characters, presumably interacting with each other, your reader will assume you're indicating different timelines with the tense switches (or the reader won't notice consciously but will just feel that something is "off").
You can write fast-paced action in either present or past tense. If this is your only reason for choosing to switch some of the narration, just practice writing past tense action. If it still doesn't work, consider switching the entire book to present tense (though really only do it if it works better overall, as present tense isn't used often for good reason).
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