Verb tense

Most fiction of the published fiction I read is written in past tense. "He said, she said, they walked to the store." I find present tense occasionally, and more often in YA, but generally speaking I think most stories are written in past tense. The Hunger Games series is in present tense, which definitely makes sense because of the tense action sequences in the arena, but it can have some limitations...

Anyway, to match the books I've been writing all my fanfic in present tense but it is seriously starting to annoy me because I'm not sure it's really the best format for the types of stories I'm writing. Has anyone taken writing classes that address why you would choose present vs. past tense? My impression is that present tense keeps you more in the moment and is good for action/suspense. But what if there isn't a lot of action?

It's really hard to switch back and forth. I started a new story using past tense because I've been reading mostly past tense lately, but I feel like I should have a deliberate reason for choosing past or present tense.

Any thoughts?

I think you use whatever tense works for you. Some stories flow better with different tenses.

Present tense conveys actions, puts the reader in the thick of things. I see it more in YA than maybe other genres. Past tense is fine, but seems too formal for the stuff I write. I'm not opposed to other tenses, but I think it depends on the story.

I don't think there's a hard fast rule though.

I don't think my writing professors really put much emphasis on either tense, just described the virtues. I find myself dithering. After several years of writing HG stories in present tense, I've found myself getting tired of it and accidentally slipping into past. Sometimes I think it's easier to avoid passive verbs in present tense than it is in past, but someone with more experience than me probably doesn't have that problem.

One thing I came across from my googling efforts was that whatever tense you choose shouldn't be a distraction, and that a lot of readers find present tense distracting. Of course, that's a generalization and might be based on old-fashioned thinking but it's factor to think about. It's probably less of an issue in YA since more and more books are being written in present tense.