Writing Time

In dialogue you write it out, in normal text you generally use the numerals.

There are probably some other specifics, but that's the basic rule.

I think it also depends on style (eg. - Chicago, AP, etc.)

AP: 9 a.m.

I don't know what Chicago is but the AP form seems too clinical for fiction to me.

I would probably write: Harvey woke at nine and threw some eggs on the stove. He squinted painfully at the sunlight, scowled a moment, stuck out his tongue at it and grabbed a cup of joe.

"Damn," Harvey said. "What a hangover. I have no idea what happened last night, but I'm almost certain that hooker is dead."

Unless otherwise stated that Harvey lives in Alaska, no need to put superfluous a.m.'s or o'clock-in-the-morning's etc.

I was always told to write numbers at school, but I don't know if that advice holds for the publishing world. Single digits I would write, but maybe not longer ones.

Like a story about a hotel room (1408 for example). It would seem odd to write fourteen-oh-eight, or one thousand four hundred and eight every time the room number was mentioned.

Aschenbach said:

I was always told to write numbers at school, but I don't know if that advice holds for the publishing world. Single digits I would write, but maybe not longer ones.

Like a story about a hotel room (1408 for example). It would seem odd to write fourteen-oh-eight, or one thousand four hundred and eight every time the room number was mentioned.

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I think Aschenbach has a point. It just goes to which is easier to read, which flows better. 1408 is better in this instance because it's easier on the eyes AND appears as it would to someone viewing the numbers in the story (the door number, that is). Same thing for dialing phone numbers. I wouldn't write "Chris dialed the number: one-six-seven-nine-five- eight-seven" ok people stopped reading ages ago. "1-6-7-9-5-8-7" is more forgivable, though a phone number may not even be necessary -- just have him call the damn person already.

If I remember right, I was always taught in school that numbers below one thousand should be written out. I think in writing it depends on the situation though. For times, I would definitely write out the numbers (nine o'clock, nine-thirty, eight-twenty-seven, etc.).

I agree on the hotel room numbers, it would seem weird to write those out. I think in that case I'd only write it out if it was a number under one hundred. (ex. room thirty-two).

Numbers in non-fiction:

Find out which style guide is preferred by your specific market or category of writing. Follow it.

Numbers in fiction - Narrative:

Time of day, money, phone numbers, ID numbers, account numbers, and similar usages are written with digits.

Elapsed time (duration), age, distance, quantity, weight, length, height, and anything that describes how many or how much should be written in words when the number is small* and digits when it's large. When a large number begins a sentence, however, it should be written in words.

*There are several versions of the rule as to what "small" is: up to ten, up to twenty, or up to a hundred, plus a few less-common variations. Pick one and stick to it. Consistency is the important thing.

Numbers in fiction - Dialog:

No matter what kind of number it is or how large it is, write it out in words. But use the words your character would actually speak, not the formally correct words (except when you have a formally correct kind of character).

How does your character say 3:34?Each of those choices shows something different about the character who's speaking and the context in which he's speaking. Don't waste this valuable opportunity by making every character speak the same way.

Is your POV character military or civilian? Would he get up at oh-five-hundred when the clock reads 05:00 or would he get up at six-thirty when the clock reads half past six?

-Derek

I worked in printing we used military time. Mainly because it differentiates between night and day; 1600 is 4pm, 400 is 4 am. But to answer your question-- it depends. i was in the military, and we wouldn't say 1600 among ourselves, that was just for reports and the brass. I'm sure a gung-ho special forces dude would though.

Bill Ward said:

In dialogue you write it out, in normal text you generally use the numerals. There are probably some other specifics, but that's the basic rule.

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Thanks for this answer. I actually have the same question.

dpaterso said:

Is your POV character military or civilian? Would he get up at oh-five-hundred when the clock reads 05:00 or would he get up at six-thirty when the clock reads half past six?

-Derek

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He'd have to be military to get up THAT early. Or a postman.

seun said:

He'd have to be military to get up THAT early. Or a postman.

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Not necessarily. My mother works in a microbiology lab and she gets up at 4:30 a.m.