: Re: Can I switch from past tense to present tense in an epilogue? I have written my entire novel thus far in past tense. However, I feel like my final chapter/epilogue would work better in present

@Debbie451

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This kind of thing is always Your Mileage May Vary, of course, but I think if you're doing it in an epilogue (clearly labeled as such), you can probably get away with it. The main story is done, and this is a separate after-piece.

The tense-switching rule is meant to address comprehension. If part of what you want the reader to comprehend is that "All of this part that you just read is in the past, and we're now in the present," then switching tenses may be exactly what you need to aid comprehension. There's no ironclad rule against it.

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