Welcome to Day 4!
Today is the last day we’re making those smaller, artistic decisions about how your story is told…meaning how information is getting to the reader on the page.
So far, you’ve made decisions about your premise, your narrator, and your point of view.
What we’re doing today with tense is finishing off that foundation so that—starting tomorrow—we can move fully into the nuts and bolts of how your story is actually put together.
There are a couple of reasons I designed the challenge this way:
The first is very practical: we’re all tired after the holidays, and jumping straight into heavy mechanics can feel overwhelming. These first few days were meant to ease you back into creative thinking without asking too much of your brain all at once.
The second reason is that I wanted to gently turn on that creative tap in your head…and from what you’ve been sharing, it’s working! A lot of you have said that you’re thinking about your stories in ways you haven’t before, seeing new possibilities, and zooming out and doing that big-picture thinking. That’s exactly where I want your brain right now.
So keep that in mind as we wrap up this phase today…
A note for tomorrow
Before we talk about tense, I want you to know what’s coming next.
As I said, today is the last day we make one of these foundational “how it’s told” decisions.
Starting tomorrow (Day 5) things shift.
Tomorrow’s video will be a little longer, so please make a bit of extra time for it.
We’ll be looking at the entire story structure from a zoomed-out perspective. You don’t need to know all the details yet; the days after that are when we’ll go deep into each individual plot point and mechanical piece.
But tomorrow is about seeing the whole shape of the thing.
I’ll be using slides and visuals, and I’ll be walking you through the structure so you can refer back to it later when we start filling in your plot grid. It will function a bit more like a lecture, but I promise it won’t be boring.
You’ll also be getting your blueprint worksheet tomorrow! So make sure you have that ready.
Our first LIVE Q&A
Our first live Q&A will be on:
January 9th at 8pm (UK time), right here on Substack.
It will work like a YouTube or Facebook Live. I’ll be on camera, you’ll be able to comment live, and I’ll answer questions in real time.
You’ll also be able to submit questions in advance, and there will be a recording if you can’t attend live.
(The second live Q&A will be on the 23rd. We’ll talk more about timing for that one later.)
So add the Jan 9 live Q&A to your calendar
Okay. On to today.
Today’s topic: tense
Tense is the final choice you’re making about how your story is told.
And before we get into the specifics, I want to say something important:
After today, I want you to stick with the decisions you’ve made so far.
One of the biggest reasons writers don’t finish their first drafts is decision paralysis. They keep cycling through:
“Should this be first person?”
“Maybe it should be third.”
“Wait, present tense might be better.”
“No, past tense feels more literary.”
That back-and-forth feels productive, but it’s often just your brain trying to protect you from the scarier part: actually writing the book.
So after today, stick with your narrator, your POV, and your tense.
If you later realise that something truly isn’t working—and that can happen—that’s okay…but if you feel the urge to change something, email me first.
I want to make sure you’re changing it for a clear structural reason, not because you’re stuck.
Promise me that.
shelly@academyofstory.com
Your two tense options (keep it simple)
If this is your first book, I’m narrowing this down for you to two choices. (I want your complexity focus to be on the story structure rather than grammar mechanics!)
Present tense
“I wake up.”
“I see the monster.”
“I run.”
Everything is happening right now. This creates immediacy and momentum.
Past tense
“I woke up.”
“I saw the monster.”
“I ran.”
The story has already happened, and the narrator is telling it from some point in the future.
One of these will probably feel more natural to you, and that’s usually the one you should choose, because you’re less likely to slip.
For many millennials and Gen X writers, past tense feels more natural because it’s what we grew up reading. For younger writers, present tense often feels easier and more intuitive. Either is fine.
What matters is that it makes sense for who your narrator is, where they’re speaking from, and why they’re telling the story.
If you’re writing memoir, you can go either way. Some memoirists write entirely in present tense, as if events are unfolding now. Others use past tense, with occasional intentional moments where a future, wiser voice steps in. Those are choices—not rules.
Where tense gets tricky (and why people slip)
Tense slipping is incredibly common, even for experienced writers.
If you’re writing in past tense and you hit an exciting action scene, it’s very easy to slip into present tense without noticing.
Alternatively, if you’re writing in present tense and you pause to reflect on something that happened earlier, it’s easy to slip into past tense…and then forget to switch back.
So awareness and consistency is the name of the game.
One thing to watch for in particular is slipping into the perfect tense (when you start using have or had a lot).
“I had gone to the store.”
“I have done this.”
“I had picked up the flowers.”
Perfect tense has a very specific purpose, usually to clarify timing or backstory. It can be used beautifully and intentionally—for example, the opening of The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling relies heavily on it.
But newer writers often slip into it accidentally. If you start seeing have or had everywhere, that’s a sign to slow down and check whether you’re switching tense without meaning to.
my biggest advice here
Keep it simple.
This is just your first book. You will write another one later. (I believe in you!)
Right now, I want your brain focused on learning story structure, not juggling complex narration choices.
Simple narrator.
Simple POV.
Simple tense.
Once you understand the mechanics of structure, you can get more experimental later. But, for now, clarity and consistency will get you to the end of the draft…and that’s the goal this year!
Your assignment for today
In the comments below this post:
Once you’ve decided, tell me which tense you’re writing your book in — present or past.In the chat:
I’ll open another troubleshooting-style Q&A thread around 9am. If you’re confused, torn between options, or want feedback, that’s the place to talk it through.
And one last reminder: please make a bit of extra time tomorrow (about 15–20 minutes) for the structure overview video and your blueprint worksheet.
As always, feel free to email me if you have questions, comment on this post, jump into the chat, or share this with a friend.
It’s still easy to catch up until around the 7th or 8th, so if you know someone who would love this, send it their way.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Shelly x
