Story tense

Yes, I agree as well. Once upon a time I am standing on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away, and a boat comes up to me and a man hops out and he....

 

I love present tense. But it's a tough tense to tackle. And is probably easier to handle in small doses - novels, short stories or shorter novels. I don't find the tense more intimate or even all that current especially if it's not handled right. In fact it can actually have the opposite effect - the mc can sound abrupt and the action stagey and the time element can start to play weird tricks. It's a whole different mindset. We're geared to recount stories as past tense.
Here's one of the tricks that can happen.
I run to the store
versus
I ran to the store. - This version has the appearance of arrival. But I run to the store sounds like the mc is still in motion. The writer has to be able to catch things like that it's not simply about switching verbs tenses. Plus things get complicated when you want to talk about the past - does a simple was cut it or is a had needed?

 

This excerpt needs more than a tense shift to be well written, as I think you well know.
One thing I see an awful lot with people who don't like present is a fixation on demonstrating how strange it sounds by using the progressive. I hardly ever use the progressive, and when I do, I would also use it in past tense narrative.

 

Thanks all. I just posted the first half of my first chapter in the "Novel" section. Please take a look when you have a chance! I appreciate your help! It's my FIRST time... so I expect people have A LOT to critique. I will try to hold onto my tears when I read the comments, haha.

 

It was actually posted as a joke... Perhaps I should not give up the day job.

I don't mind reading stories set in present tense. However, stories starting Once Upon A Time don't usually morph into present tense, do they? And I can't think of a more traditional way to begin a story in the English language than Once Upon A Time.

I was supporting @Tenderiser's point that a form of past tense is probably the most traditional way to tell or write a story. However, I also made the point earlier that a writer should do whatever works best for their story and damn the torpedos.

 

I'm like that. I think authors should use the one they are more comfortable with because I believe that leads to better writing and makes up for any reader they might loose because the reader doesn't like your choice.

Relevant anecdote: Jim Butcher, who's my favorite author, said in his old livejournal that he wrote seven books in third person and they all sucked. The first one he wrote in first person was Dresden Files and it got him to where he is today. Shows how being comfortable is more important than worrying about what the readers will like (in this case)