let's second guess this right from the start!

[rose_griffes]

So if you're reading fanfic, do you have any preference: past tense or present tense? I've been writing in present tense for a while now, but I'm wondering what y'all prefer to read.

Comments

[elperian]

When I'm writing, I tend to use either present or past (but consistently). Depends on my mood!

[yourlibrarian]

I think either works as long as it's consistent. However I think they can be used differently. For example, present tense might work better for shorter and more action oriented stories.

[tinny]

All of the Chinese fic is in present tense, so that is very common in Chinese fandoms and I found myself adapting somewhat. But usually I prefer past tense, both to read and to write. I think it is a very individual preference, though.

[siljamus]

I mostly don't notice as long as it is consistent and the use of tenses is correct. I have noticed that sometimes I will get a feeling that the choice of tense doesn't fit the story being told, but I can never work out why I feel that way.

Different fandoms seem to have different norms and it also seems to be change over time.

[icepixie]

I don't really care as long as it doesn't change in the middle of the story or go back and forth. (Dealing with that in my current fandom, sigh.)

I've written both. I think the choice is 80% due to current fandom zeitgeist and 20% to the needs of the story. Shorter fics I can go either way, but I really can't do more than 4,000 in present tense. For short fics, the more dramatic or introspective, I guess, the more likely they are to be in present.

[rose_griffes]

You're the second person to mention story length in choosing present or past tense... and I think that's a fair point. It feels oddly tiring to have a novel in present tense--something about the sustained tension of it all. This could work well when the story itself is meant to be fraught in a long-term sense, but yeah... useful to think about. Thanks.