Local Revision: Tense Usage

Xvlun, "Columns in the court of Bel Temple" via wikimedia, 9/27/15. CC Attribution Share-Alike

There is a time during the revision process where you must address the uniform or semi-uniform nature of the tense throughout your piece. Some writing lends itself to a certain tense, while other require multiple tenses. Splitting my verbs into their respective tenses below allows me to answer a few key questions about my draft at the bottom of the page. 

Past
created
fixed
heard
supplied
was
arose
weighed
took
called
4 x designed
2 x claimed
2 x stated
went
restored
saw
advised
occurred
was
closed
was
feared
worried
saw
reacted
interested
wrote
shared
excited
brought
2 x founded
required
was
proved

Present:
Sitting
is
counting
pausing
is
2 x hits
starts
pour
is
disappears
2 x supply
give
is
2 x resupplying
exist
welcomes
throwing
are
coming
2 x compete
is
known
3 x explore
advance
Establishing
is
carries
reduce
accessing
increasing
relying
suggesting
be
sell
achieving
take
predicting
lose
disagrees
sees
combine
using
states
has
has
allow
allows
pursue
reflecting
reaffirms
utilize
make
free
continue
advancing
mentions
fighting
2 x support
 pushes
meet
develop
 shows
launching
writing
sees
shares
landing
feeling
bring
landing
mean
are
attempting
discusses
highlight
being
show
is
make
revolutionizing
be
comments
states
reduce
follows
are
Walking
following
show
fitting
rely
divert
has
proves
are
is

Future:

1. Which tense is the most prevalent in your draft?
    Present tense is the most prevalent form of verb in my draft, with past tense coming in second, but not by a huge amount, and no future tense at all. 

2. What effect or tone/quality does the current usage of tense have on the reader/viewer/listener?
    The current usage of tense leads to more storytelling type of essay, rather than referring to the past multiple times. Which my past tense is still very large, the present tense is larger and shows that I talk more about the thought process and ideas that are developed in the moment, rather than the discussion that occurred before, and this leads the reader to follow the ideas more closely as they are interesting, but learning less facts than a normal essay.

3. If you're using more than one tense in the draft (which is not a bad thing at all), do the shifts between different tenses in the piece make sense? How do they flow? Are there any jarring or dischordant shifts in tense?
   There are no dischordant shifts in text in this draft, as I do flow between the tenses, switching from past articles and statements to present tense analysis, storytelling, and discussion. Therefore, the shifts do make sense and actually enhance the flow of my story. 


4. If you have not employed any present tense verbs in your piece - why not? Are there any moments of crescendo or dramatic action in the story you're telling that could benefit from being described or told in the present tense? Remember, present tense has an immediacy to it. It puts the audience right into the story as it is unfolding. It's a powerful technique. Could your piece benefit from that technique? How and why?
   My piece does use present tense and it helps out by adding that immediacy to the story, allowing for vivid imagery, enveloping the reader and making the essay a bit easier to read through.