Constant Content

I have some questions on writing articles about literature:

1. When narrating events that took place in the novel I am writing about, which tense shall I use -- past or present?
2. If the work I'm writing about uses unconventional grammar or punctuations and my article includes a block quote from the work, how do I make sure that the CC editors don't mistake the unconventional grammar or punctuations in the quote for errors on my part?

1. Present tense.

2. Block quotes won't be mistaken if they are set off correctly in the text.

Ed