past tense vs. present tense

For some reason I write in present tense. It gives you a sense of being in the story right now, like cassie17 said. Though a writing book said that most people dislike present tense. Even though I write in present tense, it can feel strange reading a book in present tense. Any one second that notion?

I personally hate present tense with a passion. I find that in English the verbs flow far better in past tense unless it's used in monologue. It just doesn't seem natural to write in present tense. The only time I will use present tense is either in second person or in French.

I've written a lot of scripts lately, so present tense is becoming kind of automatic. I'm not so sure that I like that fact though, haha. For me, past tense will always be natural for prose. I think it makes the story just that much more complete.