Reflections and Tenses and Back-story, OH MY!!

A handy dandy Scribble Chick reader asked last week:

If a paragraph reflects the past, do all of the sentences that follow need to be constructed in past tense? Someone told me that only the first sentence needed to be past tense, leaving the rest in present--which I find confusing and frustrating as a reader. I could possibly see it either way if it's a very short section of a paragraph, maybe two, though it's a stretch for me. Even tougher is if the reflection takes about a page...partway into it I can't figure out if this is still a reflection or back in the present and I just missed something. What is the "right" way to handle a reflection of the past? 

I thought I'd try to tackle this. 

::cracks knuckles::

I usually write third person past. But for my YA novel, ADDISON BLAKELY, CONFESSIONS OF A PK, it was first person past. Yet there were many times in the writing that I found myself switching to first person present, because of the content or her internal thoughts, etc. and it was exhausting to figure it all out. Thank the Lord for crit partners ;)

So the tense stuff can get tricky regardless of first or third person and regardless of past or present tense. That to say, you're not alone in this battle. 

The main rule to follow? BE CONSISTENT. 

I would say, what that person told you about making the first sentence past and the following present, is, in a nutshell - mind numbing and terrifying. LOL. That makes me want to cry as a reader and as an author. Too much. FLEE the thought! :)

Here's the thing about back-story or past reflecting - it needs to be done in brief segments ANYWAY. So switching tenses in a short paragraph like that seems even more confusing. If it's set up to somehow be a chapter's worth of some kind of major plot line reflection, or prologue, or a diary entry, or a discovered letter, etc. that's a different consideration, but those are rare instances. (And for pre-published authors, not the way to go out of the gate typically. Attempt to get fancy after you've proven yourself to your publisher! Then you can break rules and go outside the box a lot easier)  :)

Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you mean by reflection of the past, but I'm imagining it to be a memory or a retelling of a back-story event from the character's life. If that's the case, and the story is 3rd person, the retelling still needs to be third person and same tense. 

For example: (and this will suck, because it's getting late and this is all off the top of my head)

****

Heather popped the lid on her white chocolate mocha and breathed in the heady aroma. Last time she'd had one of those, David had handed it to her with a smile, that same lopsided grin he wore every time he had bad news and wasn't ready to admit it yet. He'd shoved the drink in her hand like a peace offering, then tucked his hands into his leather coat pockets and shuffled backward a step before delivering the news that changed her life forever. "Annie's pregnant. And it's my baby." The mocha had hit the ground, splashing on her favorite suede boots and running in creamy white rivulets down the sidewalk. What a waste. Of coffee. Of footwear. Of six months of relationship. 

But this mocha...this one smelled like redemption. God made everything new, right? Even 280 calories for four bucks a pop. She grinned--straight and even--and took a long sip. 

****

Same with first person. 

* * * * *

I popped the lid on my white chocolate mocha and breathed in the heady aroma. Last time I'd had one of those, David had handed it to me with a smile, that same lopsided grin he wore every time he had bad news and wasn't ready to admit it yet. He'd shoved the drink in my hands like a peace offering, then tucked his hands into his leather coat pockets and shuffled backward a step before delivering the news that changed my life forever. "Annie's pregnant. And it's my baby." My mocha had hit the ground, splashing on my favorite suede boots and running in creamy white rivulets down the sidewalk. What a waste. Of coffee. Of footwear. Of six months of relationship.

But this mocha...this one smell like redemption. God made everything new, right? Even 280 calories for four bucks a pop. I grinned--straight and even--and took a long sip. 

* * * * * *

Hopefully that helps show what I mean. If that's not what YOU mean, please let me know. But this took you in first and third, and took you from "current" in the story to a memory and then back to current. 

Scribblechicks, what say you? Anything to add? 

And boo. 

I am totally craving a mocha now. 

LOL.