Past or Present?

Do you use past or present in your writing? Which one do you think is better? Does it depend on the story?

I want you hear your thoughts!

I waaay prefer writing in the past-tense because I've always done it
It's easy to start off a story in present, but I get confused and I forget.
It's cool to have dream sequences or single chapters in the present-tense, but... I find it hard to add unexpected, "Arghhhh Help me" moments when I've written in present.
I just... I just don't roll that way

I agree, I always right in past because I think it sounds better. To be completely honest I can never read through stories in present ^^
Thats a good point, about the dream sequences, because dreams are very in the moment.

I personally love writing in present tense. When done well, I find it gives a really nice feeling of immediacy, of things going on right now instead of at some indeterminate time in the past. It can get a bit muddled up if you start dealing with stuff like flashbacks or flashforwards though, since then the tenses get annoying to keep straight. And there are a number of people who just can't get into reading stuff written in present tense.

Really though, it's a matter of personal choice. Write what's most comfortable and comes easiest.

I love this discussion! It really depends for me. If my story is more about emotions/relationships, or character-driven, I find myself writing in past tense. It feels more natural. But if I'm writing something based more on plot, action, or suspense, present tense does give that sense of immediacy, and if it's in first person it's fun to watch the events unfold as my narrator is experiencing them. On that note, I dislike the third person/present tense combination unless it's done very well, and I find it harder to write with that pair. Present tense lends itself to first person in my opinion.

For my most recent short story I wrote in a combination, using past tense for flashbacks and present for what was happening now, and it definitely helped me (and readers, I think) keep track of the timeline of the story. It's fun to experiment with tenses and I definitely suggest every writer dapple in both and not limit themselves to one or the other.

Now, future tense is a different ball game. I'd love to see someone write a very experimentalist second-person future tense story. It must be possible! Anyone up for the challenge?

I agree with Evi: I love this discussion. :3

Like other guys have said, it depends on the story itself, I think. Some stories simply work better in present tense than in past tense, vice versa. Interestingly, out of the nine short stories I've ever written, seven of them have been in past tense. The rest have been in present. This goes to show that for me personally, I prefer writing shorter things in present tense rather than past. I'm not sure why exactly, but I guess I find it easier.

I think that past tense is good for stories where, say, the MC is considering suicide. If it's in past tense, then it's quite obvious that the person who is considering suicide isn't going to kill themselves, whereas in present tense, it isn't anywhere near as predictable. I also agree with Evi on what she said about present tense being good for stories with suspense and what not in them. I find that present tense stories tend to create more tension.

When it comes to novels, I mostly write in past tense, although I'm hoping to actually switch from past tense to present in the novel I'm currently writing. The first tree quarters of the novel will be in past tense, but the last quarter or so will be in present. It's risky, but hey, why not give it a shot, eh?

As for future tense, gosh, I'd never even try that... I would fail completely.

I've always written in past tense, and to me it feels more natural. I think it gets me more into that storytelling mood. Like, when I'm telling somebody about something that happened in real life I never use present tense, so I think that may be partially what it is...

I'll read present tense, or any tense as long as the story is good, but a lot of times it can take me a second to adjust myself and think, "Oh, THIS is how I'm reading this story now." I think one time I read a story where the tenses were really weird, and I almost closed the book. I didn't (and I'm glad I didn't, because the book was awesome), but I don't think I'd ever stray from past tense just because I wouldn't want to run the risk of a reader going "Oh, I HATE present tense" and putting my book back on the shelf because they find it hard to read that way. Or something. And maybe that's really unrealistic, and normal people don't think that way, but... *shrug*

Diary entries are weird for me, too. I've tried to write in a journal style before, and it never really works for me. XD Like I said before, if the story is good then I'll probably adjust and end up loving the book no matter how it's written, but for those first few seconds... I gotta remind myself of the style.

Personally, I'm a fan of the present tense. I find it increases the actiony-type-feeling in a story when its happening as you read it.I'm not sure why but I think it's because in the past tense, you know that the main character is in good enough shape to tell the story to you; to where as in present tense I find it's a little more suspenceful(sp?). But you have a point in the fact that, past tense really does set up the classic, sitting-at-an-elder's-feet and-listening-to-one-of their-stories vibe (or something simmilar). I guess it kinda depends on what kind of story one is writing. As for myself, though, I prefer to write in present tense(for some reason it only feels natural if I kill off my main character. O_o lol).

For the most part I write in past tense. I write fantasy novels, non-YA--aka big thick suckers--and past tense is just the way they happen and the way the stories I write happen.

But I do love writing in present tense, for all the reasons people before me have listed. Also, when I tell stories to the girls I babysit, and am making things up off the fly, I usually tell them in present tense. And, when I'm recounting things that have happened to me, I usually tell them in present tense. Thus, there's something about present that's incredibly compelling. I've read several things in present that were fantastic, and the things I've written in present I think came out fairly well.

As for writing in the future tense... I did that once. It was... well, it worked for the piece.

yeah i tried that once... i had to revert back to past. for that one. lol. I'm not good enough for that. haha

I once tried writing in past. It's like getting the wrong color in your marker. You keep having to draw and draw until your marker is the right, clean color and not some muddy mix. In other words, I'm sticking to present so I don't switch between the two so much. I prefer reading present too, just because you're reading about "the now" and not "what once was". I agree with Mr. Yeti-Owner here about the action-y parts seeming more action-y.