: Re: Is there a complete guideline for which tense to use? There are questions here about specific use of tenses, but I wonder if there is a more complete guide on what tense to use when? For

@Berryessa137

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When it comes to fiction there is no accepted tense. As long as you don't change tense, perspective or person midstream you're fine.
Yes past tense is most common but I've read future, present, and past tense and I've read first, third and even second person (that one took a little getting used to but was very well used by Charles Stross)
The real answer is that there is no right tense, person or perspective. Instead it is very much down to what suits the specific story.
The most out-there I've managed was a present tense, third person from the protagonist's perspective, in which she is being interviewed about her past. Much of the story is in first person past tense. Here the transition between tense and person is made clear in that the first person/present tense sections are strictly restricted to her dialogue.
So just keep an eye on you tense usage, but feel free to use whatever feels natural. For your example I would write:

He was hiding in the dumpster. He had been hiding here for more than
two hours already, and he knew that it would be at least two hours
before we could leave.
Finally, they were gone and he climbed out of
the trash. He unsuccessfully tried to hail a cab -- even cab drivers
had standards here -- and walked to his hotel.

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