Transcribing time

Roly · Mar 11, 2010

Sorry if this is in the wrong place.

How do you write time? Right now I'm just using 5:30, 3:30 etc., but would I write five-thirty? Five thirty with no hyphen? Does it even matter? If I use the numbers, do I need the pm if it's obvious it's not in the morning? Sorry for the n00bish question

Birol · Mar 11, 2010

It depends. It depends on the context where it's written, on house style, on... For example, if you put it in a header, I'd probably lean toward using digits (5:30 or 1730). If it was in dialogue, I'd spell it out. What you need to remember is that digits surrounded by text stand out and gives them emphasis.

Bing Z · Mar 11, 2010

In narration I generally use xx o'clock, but will resort to hh:mm AM/PM if I need to be exact In dialogues, words.

I think words in dialogues give you the power to better personalize your characters. Examples:
"A little past ten... almost ten..." (fuzzy, not into details)
"Quarter to ten... Half past ten..." (old school)
"Ten-thirty-one... One minute to ten..." (wow)
"O-ten-hundred..." (military/mission impossible guy?)

Willowmound · Mar 12, 2010

Roly said:
Does it even matter?

No. Just be consistent.

Linda Adams · Mar 12, 2010

Bingain said:
"O-ten-hundred..." (military/mission impossible guy?)

O-Ten Hundred? We never called it that when I was in the military. It was ten hundred. The "O" was applied to dates in the early morning, like 0100.

shaldna · Mar 12, 2010

Linda Adams said:
O-Ten Hundred? We never called it that when I was in the military. It was ten hundred. The "O" was applied to dates in the early morning, like 0100.

I thought that sounded weird, because 10 am would be 1000.

kaitie · Mar 12, 2010

I actually looked this up not long ago and I swear it said you don't hyphenate it. I was surprised because I had thought you did. Might have been a bad source, though.

Richard White · Mar 12, 2010

Linda Adams said:
O-Ten Hundred? We never called it that when I was in the military. It was ten hundred. The "O" was applied to dates in the early morning, like 0100.

I'm very familiar with O-dark-30. (Usually something like 0430.)

Jamesaritchie · Mar 12, 2010

In dialogue, I use words, not numbers. It's impossible for anyone to speak a number, and it jars the hell out of me when a writer tries to make a character do the impossible.

CheyElizabeth · Mar 12, 2010

I write the words, like "four thirty"... I don't think you'd need the PM or AM because the reader should be able to figure it out via the context.

If i say its five and i hate waking up this early.. well there ya go, no AM neccessary.

shaldna · Mar 12, 2010

Richard White said:
I'm very familiar with O-dark-30. (Usually something like 0430.)

In Ireland we call that Stupid O'clock.

Bing Z · Mar 12, 2010

Linda Adams said:
O-Ten Hundred? We never called it that when I was in the military. It was ten hundred. The "O" was applied to dates in the early morning, like 0100.

Yeah, the O before the ten should have been left out. It was a little past midnight and I was getting high.

On a side note, my biggest problem is actually the notion of something like "M3" as in BMW M3, or "P5" as in "Unit No. P5", in a dialogue. "M-three" looks a little silly. "M3" steers away from normal notions of spelled words for numbers.

Linda Adams · Mar 12, 2010

Richard White said:
I'm very familiar with O-dark-30. (Usually something like 0430.)

Yes, I had a first sergeant who got in front of formation to lecture everyone because he did not want to be woken up at "O-Dark-30" to bail someone who got drunk out of jail. The soldiers in question had gotten drunk and taken an underage girl across state lines.

Transcribing time

Roly

silly puppy monster

Birol

Around and About

Bing Z

illiterate primate

Willowmound

Lightly salted

Linda Adams

Soldier, Storyteller

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

kaitie

With great power comes

Richard White

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

Jamesaritchie

CheyElizabeth

My horn can pierce the sky!

shaldna

The cake is a lie. But still cake.

Bing Z

illiterate primate

Linda Adams

Soldier, Storyteller