Thought I'd pop by and introduce myself... I used writewords a few years back and always got some brilliant help and tips from other users.

That's all I can really think of at the moment - for a writer, I'm terrible at speaking (or typing) about myself!

I'm sure I'll speak to everyone throughout the forum at some point.

Sarh :-)

<Added>

oh dear, it would help if I had added the second 'a' in my name! (I'm blaming my tools and the terribly broken laptop I was working on!)

Let's try again...

Sarah (!)

:-)

Hi Sarah and welcome back to WriteWords. Hope you'll get back into the swing of things.



- NaomiM

Hi Sarah, welcome back. Enjoy!

Emma

Hello. Nice to see you here.

Sarah

Well, I am following Sarahīs footsteps here and just enter this hopefully open minded little writers community of yours !

I have been writing for quite some time now and I just finished my first novel, though I got many other which are just waitinf for me to finish them.

Now, for the first time I use the Present Tense in my lates story. I donīt know really why, but I guess it fits really good this time and it might keep the audienceīs attention up, though I also itergrate them somehow by writing to the audience directly ! I cant tell you, writing in past tense is a lot easier !!

my question is now : What is your opinion on this ! You prefer as a reader and a writer the so common past tense or the more "refreshing" present tense ??!

Hi TheRealH.Moody and welcome to WriteWords

If you need any help navigating the site feel free to ask.

As for Present v's Past tense: As a reader I much prefer past tense, but as a writer I like to experiement and have written some stories in present tense, usually first person narratives. If you like writing in present tense then go with it.



- NaomiM

Thanks for answering Naomi !

(Damned, do I have many typing errors in my last post, anyway) You said that you wrote some stories in Present tense. In my `Present Tense` story thoughI do not use the first person and Iīm struggling with some issues with the time - and also thinking about re-writing it in past tense!

my question is, even though it probably might be a real beginners problem : Do I have to stick with the f....g present tense all the time ? What if I tell something about the main character, that happened some time ago ? What other exeption are there ???!

Thank you for your attention ?

What if I tell something about the main character, that happened some time ago ?

No, you can switch to past tense. Two authors who did it very well, and for that very reason, were Jennifer Donnelly in A Gathering Light, and Stef Penney in A Tenderness of Wolves.



- NaomiM

Well after all it is Christmas, hope you enjoy the site, I am new myself but so far I am finding it very useful. and in the words of a favourite hamburger shop. " Im Loving It".