Mode and Tense?

[Ophidimancer]

So I was noticing the different styles of writing in the PBP's and it made me wonder what everyone likes to use and why.

When you write in general, do you like to write in first person?  Third person?  Something odd, like second person?  Do you use past or present tense?  Future tense maybe?

How does this change, if at all, when you write for a play-by-post?  Why?

[Gilitine_Memitim]

I like to write in third personally, but sometimes I fall into first if the people also playing do so.

[Taran]

I use third person as well.  I like the idea of a narrator.  I think I tend to use past tense.

Sometimes I change if there's something to show-case - like a cool move or the end of a fight  - or if it is the characters actual thoughts, and he's going on a huge tangent then I'll change to first person or present tense.  But then I usually divide my post with a dividing line to let people know the change in tense or focus.

[narphoenix]

First person if I want people to sympathize with a protagonist. (Usually for PBP)

If my protagonist is a creepy scary bastard that I want people to be scared, I go to third.

Generally, first person is in past.

Third, depends. If I want people to be more removed, I go into past. If I want to immerse my readers, I go to present.

[Dr.FunLove]

I read someone reply to a similar line of thought on this that when they write for a PBP they want it to read as one whole story. I agree with this and I try and keep my posts in the present tense to give the illusion that things are occuring as we write/read. I'll write character journals in first person (as it is directly their perspective).

In fiction outside of PBP/role-playing, I tend to lean towards third-person in my reading/writing though I dabble in the first-person (we all read The Dresden Files after all, right?).

[Taran]

I guess doing it in present tense makes sense since the GM tends to narrate posts to the players.  So to make it consistent, I guess present tense works.  Although, you could have the entire thing read like a story as long as everyone agrees to write it the same way regardless of the tense.  But I don't know if that ever happens.  Is there ever a discussion on how the posts should be presented?

[Dr.FunLove]

@Taran
Agreed - I think everyone would have to buy in ahead of time in regards to third versus first person and what tense they're writing in. I like the consistency of that, but it is something the group should probably chat about to make sure no one is being asked to write in a way that makes them uncomfortable or some such.

[admiralducksauce]

I think for PbP I stray to present tense and third person, because I started PbPs as a GM and I got used to writing the posts how I'd talk to players at a table, modified by the fact that I need to use 3rd person rather than using "you" because I'm not really talking to them by the time they read the post. That came out weird.

A lot of times for scene-setting posts and "cutscene" type posts it's easier to use past tense.

[Ophidimancer]

I tend to write in third person, past tense, because it seems more professional to me, though I may throw in present tense every once in awhile for certain scenes.

I like using third person because I strive to show things like emotions through inferential cues like body language and facial expression, I somehow think it a bit more .. challenging than simply telling the audience what the character is feeling.  It also more easily allows for scenes with no characters in them, like interludes, than first person.

[Dr.FunLove]

Aye, not gonna here me arguing with ya Ophidmancer. I prefer third person most of the time.

[Haru]

As a GM, I write in a mixture of third and second, present tense mostly (sometimes I slip up and end up in past tense. Damn correspondence course. ). I don't like to put up headers for different characters, so I usually start a paragraph in third person to use a characters name ("Daniel walks down a dark alley when he hears a noise.") and once I've done that I write as if I talk to the player ("You see the red court vampire coming at you").

As a player, third person present, plain and simple. I don't like to write in first person. Reading yes, writing no.

[Taran]

I'd actually find it hard describing big fight/action scenes in present tense.  It seems more epic to me past tense.

[Dr.FunLove]

Interesting...but if the fight is happening RIGHT NOW seems wierd to be in the past eh?

[Taran]

Well, it's a story.  It can happen any time.

And the axe comes down narrowly missing Bob as he swings from the chandelier and leaps across on to the table.

And the axe came down narrowly missing Bob as he swung from the chandelier and leapt across on to the table.

[Ophidimancer]

I think using past tense pulls the camera back a little, while using present tense is like a close-up shot.  I, too, think past tense lends itself more to epic or big scenes.