what you take won't kill you but be careful what you're given

[causeways]

I had a lovely weekend full of RL friends, a little bit of booze and a good bit of schoolwork, and almost nothing fandom-related whatsoever, and I've got to say? I love fandom, but taking a break from it sometimes is pretty awesome, too

Comments

[unamaga]

For writing: present tense is usually easier for me, for whatever reason. I think I'm just more familiar with it. Certain stories (see: track au) just come out in past tense, though, I don't know why.

For reading: as long as it's not messy and jumping between tenses, I don't care either way. When there's a story in present tense that has flashbacks in present too, though - that bothers me in a tiny corner of my brain. :\

[causeways]

Same for me!

And YES, ugh, they need to be in some form of the past tense. It totally bothers me too.

[goldenseal]

I often start in simple past, but end up changing to present about 500 words in... I like it because as I'm writing it gives me a feelong of immediacy or urgency that I think gives energy to my writing. I feel like I can't get the same effect in simple past tense.
I still like both tenses equally as a reader, though :)

[causeways]

Agreed! And when I started writing in SPN, it just totally felt right.

[valiant]

I find present tense somehow really works in TV fandoms in particular. It just seems less book-ish and more in the moment? I don't know. I personally prefer to write and read in past tense, for no real reason except that I like the way it feels more than present tense. Perhaps it was because the books are in past tense, but in HP I always wrote past tense. Present tense felt pretentious and weird. But I have noticed TV fandoms are very heavy on present tense. For me, present tense is easier and I utilize it when I'm having trouble writing, so when I start writing in present, I feel like I'm cheating and taking the easy way out or something.

I end up switching tenses a lot on accident midway through fics and then I have to go back and fix everything. :[

[causeways]

Oh, that's so funny -- I always wrote in the past tense in HP too! I think it probably had a lot to do with the fact that the books were in the past tense, for me at least; writing in the present felt SO weird then.

I have done that too. Super annoying. :\

[pocketfullof]

When I first started writing present tense felt very strange, but I'm more comfortable with it now. However, I try to write longer stories in simple past because I think it's easier to read and more, I dunno, solid somehow. For stories that are more descriptive and/or ethereal, I generally use present tense.

[causeways]

Same here, about the present tense feeling weird at first. I felt as though I was screwing it up badly when I tried to include flashbacks/sections about past events, because throwing in past tense after all that present seemed very strange. And that's funny that the longest story I've written in this fandom was in the simple past.

[paintmydays]

I write stories in the: some other tense I'll tell you about in comments
I don't write stories, I don't even know why I answered that question.

I am always very aware of a writer's choice of tense.
Never ever. My mind just flow with the story. Unless is some kind of mix that really mess with my head.

[causeways]

Yeah, as long as it works, I'm good with whatever.