: Re: In present-tense narrative, does "I spend the NEXT few hours..." make sense? I was directed to the writers stackexchange from the English/grammar forums. I'm writing a novel in present-tense.

This is one of the problems I have with writing in present tense, and why it can be difficult for authors to do it well. There are just certain narrative constructions that don't really work when trying to put them together in present tense.

That said, you can accomplish what you're trying to do by telling it from the other side, time-wise. Instead of what your original sentence does which is use time A as "now" and states that the character is thinking until time B, try using time B as "now" and have the character realize they've been thinking since time A.

Three hours I've been sitting here, lost in my thoughts, and I'm no closer to figuring out what I should do than when I started.

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: Re: In present-tense narrative, does "I spend the NEXT few hours..." make sense? I was directed to the writers stackexchange from the English/grammar forums. I'm writing a novel in present-tense.

More posts by @Sims2267584

: "Works" in Works Cited when there is only one source? I am currently writing an essay on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and I only have one source. Do I still call it a "Works Cited" page?

: Handwriting change I currently have bad handwriting and even though I have been writing every day for years I still have very poor handwriting, it is sometimes un-legible. So I thought I should

: Any techniques to make the reader feel sad and very sorrowful? Are there any techniques which writers can use to really touch the character, and make them feel really emotional because of your

: Techniques for picture writing? So, the title is unclear. What I mean, is I want to create a piece of writing which the reader does not imagine as "real". I want the reader to imagine this

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