I'm working on a story right now and I can't figure out what verb tense to use, past (He pulled) or present (Pulling). I'm a bit confused as to which one I use. Thanks.

God and peace
Vanessa :)

depends on the context I suppose... What tense have you been using throughout?

Present tense can convey a sense of immediacy that you might want for short introspective pieces. But for longer stories, particularly those involving multiple characters, present tense can become awkward, requiring over-use of the verb "is": Foreman is scowling, Cameron is moralizing, Chase is hiding, etc.

A combination is possible, but only under carefully controlled circumstances. In my House/Holmes story, I've been using past tense for the regular narration, but switching to present tense for the flashbacks. So far, nobody has complained that this technique is annoying . . . :P

okay thanks for the help. That makes sense :)

God and peace
Vanessa :)

I'll echo what everyone else says, with a caveat. It's a bit harder to pull off present tense in my experience-- I keep trying to do it, then realize that it's not working. That of course doesn't mean that you can't do it. If all else fails, write a passage or two in both tenses and see which one "feels" better.

Thanks so much for ya'lls imput it's been helpful :)

God and peace
Vanessa :)

Most of what I was going to say has been said, but I will add one thing: Switching from one tense to another is a nasty business.

Cheers,
AE.

...

How about he pulls?