The challenge when writing in present tense is making it sound 'right'. I use that word with some caution as I am not sure what the correct term for well written work is, as everyone has a different idea of it. What I mean is some sentences sound strange when written in the present tense, they make complete sense and feel comfortable in the past but transferring them straight over to present is just... strange. This is where the challenge comes from. I have been writing a short piece in present tense. When I read over it I find myself tweaking small parts that would sound fine if I just changed the bloody tenses.
However, when I started this piece I was writing it in the past tense and it felt wrong. And if it feels wrong then there is nothing I can do but bow to the whim of my idea. It is set in the close future, and that, for me, seems to be enough to push it over the edge when I am writing in the past tense. It doesn't even feel like sci-fi to me, it is that close to the present, so it wouldn't make sense to write in past tense. Does that make sense? It seems to, but then I think about it and I know it should not matter.
No matter the tense, as long as it is written well it should get good feedback. I just want to avoid those who would rather chop their hands off than read present tense. I guess my aim with this novel is to appeal to those people especially. To have them pick it up, read it, and find themselves thinking, 'well I don't usually like present tense, but I love this.'
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