Tenses and Narrators

Writing characters is difficult, to say the least. 

In most writing, there are several stereotypes divided by the tenses of writing, the gender, the time period, and overall the mood/tone of the writer. But a few I have found to stand out:

FIRST PERSON

First person is a closeup of character development. Emotions of this person are easier to comprehend and we get a better scope of who they are; who they become; how they change; who they are close with. But their scope is parochial, and we often miss some of the other character's actions unless the first person narration is rotated, which can be confusing.

Female - several of the first person female narrators I have read from the perspectives of are, well, wimpy. They join up with groups of heavy hitters and experienced fighters who, by comparison, make them appear even weaker than they already are. They develop into formidable warriors most of the time, but before that they're an insufferable burden. All they do is scream 'look out!' as arrows and missiles and blows come hurtling down around their defenders and they do nothing to stop it. And sometimes they become fighters much too quickly; though it's nicer to have them pulling their own weight, it's also totally unbelievable. 

Male - um . . . I'm actually not super prepared for this; I haven't really read a lot of male first person narration . . . Well, this is awkward.

THIRD PERSON ALL-KNOWING

Pros: Third person has a very wide scope, as it can encompass any character the author wants with little effort. It usually focuses on one character to explain the point of view of, so as not to allow the reader to much sight into all the character's reactions and preserve some mystery.

Cons: I prefer writing and reading first person, as it comforts me to know just who I'm dealing with and makes them easier to understand; third person feels somewhat impersonal and remote. It provides a less intimate analyzation of the characters, which can be frustrating and feel detached.

Male or female gender isn't as important in third person all-knowing, as it can swap the perspective of male and female characters very swiftly. The point of third person is that you can provide cryptic information just for the sake of the reader that none of the characters could possibly know; in first person, if the narrator doesn't know it, you don't know it.

PRESENT TENSE

Present tense has a feel of perpetual action to it and helps you keep inside the book's universe, captivated by how realistically and dramatically everything is happening. Present tense usually accompanies first person narration; it's kinda weird if you try it with third-person. I tend to find it in distopia-type books: The Hunger Games, Divergent, Insurgent, Matched and Crossed, I think, are some examples.

Present tense keeps things exciting, but it also makes the character narrating it feel less important. Focusing on who is doing what becomes less important the more I get drawn into their surroundings and the occurrences around them.

PAST TENSE

Most books are written in past tense. It's more familiar; it deprives us of the immediate action of present tense, but the slower pace allows more time to smell the roses. There can be poetic, romantic, or get-to-know-the-character interludes in past tense. Most of what I write and read is past tense. Writing a book in both is something I find challenging; switching back and forth tends to confuse me after a while.

I originally intended this to be about characters but that is a whole other . . . whatever. I'm blanking on the adage; it's late, I'm tired, and I was not super prepared for this post. Let's just say that characters require a post purely of their own, without any interference of tenses or narrators. I was planning on doing adjectives next, but I'll get right on it.