Since a lot of narrative writing takes place in the past tense, and “now” implies the present, would it make sense to say something like “I was now faced with a choice.” Or should you just say “I was faced with a choice.” Thanks
Yes. The tense frames the usage. It may in some cases be clearer to use another word, but very few natuve speakers will be confused by "I now had a choice"
I don’t see why not. The word now shouldn’t mix up the tense, and it definitely has its uses in my opinion. Also, I’d argue “I was now faced with a choice” and “I was then faced with a choice” read differently. I’d say the word now carries more urgency, which is necessary in some instances. Maybe I’m being pedantic though. lol
I want to give a dissenting opinion: “then” only sounds right to me if it's being used to position one event immediately after another. E.g. “They took me to a small room and read me my rights. I was then faced with a choice.”
I would not use “then” to replace “now” in general. E.g. “Well, that was it then. He'd made his position clear, and I was then faced with a choice.” That doesn't sound right to me.
The choice isn't a seperate event that happened after “he made his position clear;” it's the current state of things. “I was now faced with a choice” sounds better to me for that.
The answer is unequivocally yes. Do not listen to these people saying it has to be then.
I just grabbed my Kindle and pulled up 5 past tense books that I consider fairly well respected (Station Eleven, Pachinko, Flashforward, Wuthering Heights, The Mountain in the Sea) and searched them for the word "now." They all used it.
"Now they'd returned as hallucinations"
"Now he felt depleted again"
"Everything was now under the control of a computer"
"Now, I had a distinct view of her whole figure and countenance"
English uses time in a relative way that relies on context, not tense or mood.
Both “now” and “then” are used when talking about the future as the present or the past: “If he moves the stone aside, he will then find a pair of golden sandals and a sword. These are his patrimony, and he must now hasten with them to Athens.”
They’re indicate sequence and cause and effect within a series of actions, and are also used for emphasis. They’re not about grammatical tense.
If someone doesn't understand "now" within the context of the writing, they're probably illiterate anyway. Just give your readers some credit and never worry about it again.
It's a fine technique, when used properly. Your example seems good to me. Here's another one:
I read an excellent article in Newsweek about the New York City power failure in 1977. The article had described how one power source after another failed or was consciously disconnected until only one remained. "Now the entire burden of powering the city fell on the shoulders of 'Big Allis," the huge Ravenswood power plant. Big as it was, Big Allis couldn't power New York all by itself . . ."
Noticed this post, and it caught my attention because I've been writing music to words heavy with "now". My libretto says, "Or un sostegno, ed ora perde una stella; alfine perde la speme ancora e s'abbandonar." (Now a support, now lost, a star; at last lost the last hope and, one sinks.) So this is metaphorical, neither present nor past. Now seems to work well!
Your instinct is right—if "now" adds nothing, cut it for cleaner prose. But it's worth asking whether it does add something. "I was now faced with a choice" can create a sense of this moment shifted things, while "I was faced with a choice" just reports a past event. So the real question is whether that emphasis serves your narrative. If it does, keep it. If it's just extra weight, lose it. Either way, be intentional about the choice.
Given your example, "I was then faced with a choice." is how I'd write it, but that's me.
What's the framework for your story? Is it someone telling their tale to another? Do you stay with those two people, or are you jumping back to the time in which the tale takes place?
Just because lots of narrative writing uses past tense, doesn't mean that you have to. You could switch to present tense, first person, etc. That's up to you.
It depends on how you're trying to tell your story.
You can use “now” for emphasis like “so” but I wouldn’t use it for prepositional time.
Think “Now, mind you, he didn’t usually eat pork, but it was delicious”. That works, but that’s because it’s not being used prepositionally, just to draw attention to contrast.
Now refers to the specific moment, so you can use “at that moment” as a direct past tense version, but others have suggested “then” which in many cases might feel more natural
Yes, though I'd argue that its usage requires careful structuring to maintain clarity. If I use "now" in the past tense it implies something that occurred at that specific moment in the narrative, not necessarily the true "present" of the narrative being conveyed.
Example:
"She looked down at her enemy, which lay dead at her feet. Now she was certain that the vampire had not truly been killed, but still haunted the countryside . . ."
While it's probably fine, I personally can't. It just bugs the fuck out of me. "He raced into the kitchen. There the buglar stood holding a knife, as if waiting for him. Now he realized he only had one option..." I would change it to "He realized then" or "He realized in that moment" or drop it all together. I've sometimes written it, and I always end up "fixing" it because it just seems wrong.
(First person would change it though because of the narrative aspect. Using now in this way works fine if it's a dialogue, and a first-person POV is inherently a kind of inner monologue and would thus contain that person's characterization in how they speak and perceive things. I just wouldn't do it in past tense third-person narration.)
If it's set up for a character to be narrating their story (like first person) in a Story-Teller fashion, then I could see you using "now" that way. Otherwise, I would say just replace "now" with "then" for either past or future tenses.
Yes. The tense frames the usage. It may in some cases be clearer to use another word, but very few natuve speakers will be confused by "I now had a choice"
Yes.
In dialogue? Totally fine.
Outside of dialogue? Also fine.
I don’t see why not. The word now shouldn’t mix up the tense, and it definitely has its uses in my opinion. Also, I’d argue “I was now faced with a choice” and “I was then faced with a choice” read differently. I’d say the word now carries more urgency, which is necessary in some instances. Maybe I’m being pedantic though. lol
I want to give a dissenting opinion: “then” only sounds right to me if it's being used to position one event immediately after another. E.g. “They took me to a small room and read me my rights. I was then faced with a choice.”
I would not use “then” to replace “now” in general. E.g. “Well, that was it then. He'd made his position clear, and I was then faced with a choice.” That doesn't sound right to me.
The choice isn't a seperate event that happened after “he made his position clear;” it's the current state of things. “I was now faced with a choice” sounds better to me for that.
The answer is unequivocally yes. Do not listen to these people saying it has to be then.
I just grabbed my Kindle and pulled up 5 past tense books that I consider fairly well respected (Station Eleven, Pachinko, Flashforward, Wuthering Heights, The Mountain in the Sea) and searched them for the word "now." They all used it.
"Now they'd returned as hallucinations"
"Now he felt depleted again"
"Everything was now under the control of a computer"
"Now, I had a distinct view of her whole figure and countenance"
"Ha had been longing for hours now for a shower"
English uses time in a relative way that relies on context, not tense or mood.
Both “now” and “then” are used when talking about the future as the present or the past: “If he moves the stone aside, he will then find a pair of golden sandals and a sword. These are his patrimony, and he must now hasten with them to Athens.”
They’re indicate sequence and cause and effect within a series of actions, and are also used for emphasis. They’re not about grammatical tense.
If someone doesn't understand "now" within the context of the writing, they're probably illiterate anyway. Just give your readers some credit and never worry about it again.
Yes
Technically, but as a general rule, anytime you can omit a word without losing the intention and meaning, you should.
Just wanted to chime in and say Thanks. This is the type of question I really appreciate.
“What now?” he asked.
It's a fine technique, when used properly. Your example seems good to me. Here's another one:
I read an excellent article in Newsweek about the New York City power failure in 1977. The article had described how one power source after another failed or was consciously disconnected until only one remained. "Now the entire burden of powering the city fell on the shoulders of 'Big Allis," the huge Ravenswood power plant. Big as it was, Big Allis couldn't power New York all by itself . . ."
“I now faced a choice.” It would be describing the situation that happened.
Noticed this post, and it caught my attention because I've been writing music to words heavy with "now". My libretto says, "Or un sostegno, ed ora perde una stella; alfine perde la speme ancora e s'abbandonar." (Now a support, now lost, a star; at last lost the last hope and, one sinks.) So this is metaphorical, neither present nor past. Now seems to work well!
It depends on the type of narrator.
Are they actively telling the story, or just moving through it in first person?
Use the now first of the sentence
"Now" isn't a verb. So yes.
Your instinct is right—if "now" adds nothing, cut it for cleaner prose. But it's worth asking whether it does add something. "I was now faced with a choice" can create a sense of this moment shifted things, while "I was faced with a choice" just reports a past event. So the real question is whether that emphasis serves your narrative. If it does, keep it. If it's just extra weight, lose it. Either way, be intentional about the choice.
Yes you can.
Example: Now, I thought I was wrong, turns out I wasn't.
I told you to come back right now.
"Now that's what I call comedy!" The Man yelled from his seat
I didn't want to wait , I wanted it now.
Perfectly normal, particularly with 1st person. Here's an example from the book Piranesi:
"I made new twine from fish leather and tied up his bundles of bones again. Now he is in good order once more."
I had not been using "now" in the past tense. But now I was. I knew the answer to your question: "yes."
In that context, you'd use "then."
You can use "now" in internal monologue or dialogue in the past tense, but not in narration.
Given your example, "I was then faced with a choice." is how I'd write it, but that's me.
What's the framework for your story? Is it someone telling their tale to another? Do you stay with those two people, or are you jumping back to the time in which the tale takes place?
Just because lots of narrative writing uses past tense, doesn't mean that you have to. You could switch to present tense, first person, etc. That's up to you.
It depends on how you're trying to tell your story.
[deleted]
Came here to say this.
People should avoid mixing tenses like that.
It can feel awkward if the timeline isn’t clear.
You can use “now” for emphasis like “so” but I wouldn’t use it for prepositional time.
Think “Now, mind you, he didn’t usually eat pork, but it was delicious”. That works, but that’s because it’s not being used prepositionally, just to draw attention to contrast.
Now refers to the specific moment, so you can use “at that moment” as a direct past tense version, but others have suggested “then” which in many cases might feel more natural
Yes, though I'd argue that its usage requires careful structuring to maintain clarity. If I use "now" in the past tense it implies something that occurred at that specific moment in the narrative, not necessarily the true "present" of the narrative being conveyed.
Example:
"She looked down at her enemy, which lay dead at her feet. Now she was certain that the vampire had not truly been killed, but still haunted the countryside . . ."
While it's probably fine, I personally can't. It just bugs the fuck out of me. "He raced into the kitchen. There the buglar stood holding a knife, as if waiting for him. Now he realized he only had one option..." I would change it to "He realized then" or "He realized in that moment" or drop it all together. I've sometimes written it, and I always end up "fixing" it because it just seems wrong.
(First person would change it though because of the narrative aspect. Using now in this way works fine if it's a dialogue, and a first-person POV is inherently a kind of inner monologue and would thus contain that person's characterization in how they speak and perceive things. I just wouldn't do it in past tense third-person narration.)
Outside of dialogue it would be extremely rare for that word to be at all useful
If it's set up for a character to be narrating their story (like first person) in a Story-Teller fashion, then I could see you using "now" that way. Otherwise, I would say just replace "now" with "then" for either past or future tenses.
Best to say “I had a choice”, or just show the reader what the choice is.
I was then faced with a choice. Back then I was faced with a choice, and now was forced to choose between love and honour.
Yes, but very specifically. Also, another option for fun.
You can, but consider using "then".