I recently read and reviewed a short story by a newcomer to the writing world. I found this story posted on another writing site. The premise of the story proved strong, promising a solid and entertaining read. However, once I dug into the flesh of the tale, a glaring error soon developed, leaving me hardly able to finish the story. But finish, I did, with a critical eye, dissecting this writer's work in ways I'm not really comfortable in doing.

There were problems with this writer's mechanics, sure, what with all of those run-on sentences. And maybe the punctuation didn't measure up. But those sorts of things are easily remedied--with proper instruction.

The real trouble sprouted in the form of shifting tenses within, not just the story itself, but the very same sentence. Sentences began in a past-tense narration but finished in the present tense. And a thing like this, while seeming so simple to those who understand it, is not so easy to fix--especially if the writer can't grasp the concept of past versus present tense.

Truth be told, I figured something so simple would be easily understood by one and all. If a person had gone to school, even without having graduated, they'd comprehend this common knowledge, right?

But that's not the case.

Indie author Stephen Geez has taught many creative writing classes over the years. Indeed, this author, namely me, enrolled in his class way back in the late 1990s. Mr. Geez has assured me that this lack of grasp for something most would take for granted is quite common among budding new writers.

This is not something left to the author's discretion, a unique tool to render a story quirky; it is, simply put, bad writing. I recently wrote about POV in a previous post. POV shifts within the same scene is maddening, needlessly confusing readers, and quite amateurish in story execution. Some people argued such shifts were fine. I won't get into that argument again. But I will say this: Never, at any time, is it ever acceptable to shift the tense of a story--especially within the very same sentence. Now, if a story is bouncing back and fourth between time periods, and the tense is shifted from chapter to chapter, well, then, that's fine. A couple of books I've read come to mind.

Let me lay out a few examples of past and present tense:

1.) Past tense:

Addison Markley's boyish specter drifted lazily up the front drive. Black trousers and a white shirt clung to her narrow frame; her right hand boldly clutched a jar of corn liquor.

2.) Here's the same scene in present tense:

Addison Markley's boyish specter drifts lazily up the front drive. Black trousers and a white shirt cling to her narrow frame; her right hand boldly clutches a jar of corn liquor.

The verbs are what establish the tense (drifted, drifts; clung, cling; clutched, clutches.)

1.) Past tense:

Johnny Dawes bolted from the room, raced up the street, and headed for the store.

2.) Present tense:

Johnny Dawes bolts from the room, races up the street, and heads for the store.

Again, it's the verbs. (bolted, bolts; raced, races; headed, heads.)

It never reads like this:

Johnny Dawes bolts from the room, raced up the street, and heads for the store.

Simple things aren't always simple to everybody. When writing something you intend to share on a website, with an agent, or through self-publishing, always secure a qualified proofreader. It never hurts to have a second set of eyes combing through your work. These tense-shifts often aren't obvious. So read your work often, and read it aloud.