Why do I do this to myself? I have a crappy bowling alley story in first person present tense! PRESENT TENSE? I never do first person present. This is stretch for me. Also, I think I have forgotten to put in the tension. Who needs tension? Sure, sure short stories thrive on tension. And you can’t sustain a story on just one level of tension, but you know what? This story is not thriving by any stretch of the imagination. Why do I do this to myself?