: "This" vs "that" in past tense narrative Here are some examples (first person past tense): "Well, goodby then." After saying this/that, he picked up his hat and ran out door. I

Here are some examples (first person past tense):

"Well, goodby then." After saying this/that, he picked up his hat and ran out door.

I let his words sink in my head. To fight alone. Was this/that true
even though we had each other?

Does the meaning change if I pick the former or the later? Which one is more common in fiction?

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@Barnes643

I don't think there's any huge detriment story-wise (or even grammar-wise), but I would suggest "this" for the first and "that" for the second. However, I wouldn't phrase the first passage that way since it's a bit stilted and odd to read. You could sayâ€¦

"Well, goodbye then," he said as he picked up his hat and ran out the door.

â€¦or you could just sayâ€¦

"Well, goodbye then." He picked up his hat and ran out the door.

I'd have to see the context, but it should help the flow.

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: "This" vs "that" in past tense narrative Here are some examples (first person past tense): "Well, goodby then." After saying this/that, he picked up his hat and ran out door. I

More posts by @Goswami879

: Is it OK to use "I guess" in fiction? Example: I groaned. Why was I doing this? I guess I was afraid of losing him. Like it or not, he was my only guide right now. Does it sound

: Is it a good writing practice to keep related elements as close as possible to each other? Here's an example: Not finding anything useful, I went to check the maple. Four times my size, it

: How much repetition is too much repetition? This is a question that'd been bothering me for a while. Here's an example: My heart racing, I wriggled to the edge of the bed and fumbled

: Are the tenses of the following piece correct? I almost drowned in the this ocean of tenses. Anyhow, did I make any mistake? It was almost two, so I said goodnight to Mom and went back

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