All things SWTOR!
Writing Tenses
Just a quick question if I may.
What do people consider the best tense to write in? I tend to (try to) write in past tense, but I see a fair few great works that are written in present tense.
I've googled this and opinions seem to be divided on the issue of which is best.
I was curious what tense experienced (and not so experienced!) fanfiction writers prefer to write in and why - and did they switch around until they found the tense they preferred?




Weasel answer: What feels most comfortable to you is best.
Present tense can, when done well, create more of a sense of urgency. It's especially effective when the character or characters are experiencing new situations and environments. But you can get that in past tense with pacing, too.
I'm writing my mega-epic in past tense (third person single POV) except for a few interludes. There's one chapter that takes place inside the characters' minds in the blink of an eye, so I wrote that in present tense. There's a formatting clue and the chapter is very short, so the readers can figure this is something special being done because I am fond of drama, lol. I also tagged my main story "unusual format" and make sure my chapter descriptions provide a more coherent roadmap.
Flipping that around, you can write in present tense, but then have flashback chapters in past tense, as long as you somehow make it clear quickly that it is a flashback.
My only rule is ALWAYS ALWAYS use section or preferably chapter breaks and any other formatting necessary to make it clear to the reader you've shifted on purpose.
I used to write past tense, and then, welp ... I started writing smut, which I couldn't write well in past tense. xD (I mean, the quality of it is still up for debate tbh but aaaaaanyway). And I hated shifting tense in chapters because I don't think I do it well, so I was like "okay all present it is!"
But I totally agree with Xhareen's answer of "write what works for you". :D
Hey that Kryn/Marr smut is daaaammmmnnn good girl XD (unless you're referring to any other smut you may have written that I haven't seen yet, but I'm confident it is of pretty fabulous quality!)
I usually prefer present tense, which I got into the habit of years ago when I was doing a lot of text-based RPing. It just felt more natural to use present tense in a back-and-forth exchange about what characters were saying and doing, and I guess I got so used to it that it felt natural in non-RP writing as well.
That said, even after I developed that preference there have been times when I've started writing something and gone "nah, this needs to be in past tense", the most ready example being historical AU fic.
I agree with Xhareen's weasel answer -- use whatever tense feels most comfortable.
Myself, I use past tense like 98% of the time. There's been a few times when for some reason a story just felt better in present tense, as well as once or twice when I used it in flashbacks to help differ them from the main timeline, but generally I feel most comfortable in past tense and default to that.
As long as you're not jumping back and forth between tenses in one section, usually it doesn't really matter which you use.
I write in present tense for the most part, because I feel like what transpires happens as I write it. I only use past tense for when referencing things...uh, in the past. I've seen some people feel that's more limiting and even unprofessional, but I dunno, I just prefer it that way. All of this mostly comes from roleplaying in present tense for years.
That said, I don't really feel uncomfortable reading stories from people who write in past tense.
Personally, I write in both past and present tense, depending on the story. I do find that they use very different styles of writing and sentence formatting to be particularly effective (when I go back to past tense after being a lot of present tense, it often reads weird because I'm not used to it anymore).
I think most people tend to start in past tense, just because that's what they're used to reading. But honestly, play around and figure out what works better for you. Like Xhareen said, present tense can be good for really being in the moment, but at the same time, I find that in order for it to be effective, you really have to make the reader feel the emotion and be invested. I also find that I use a lot simpler prose when I write in present tense, but maybe that's just me.
For me, the tense that a person uses doesn't automatically make or break a fic (unless there's inconsistent tenses in the same scene or something). Hope this helps! :)