Two questions: Use of numbers and and/but

I wouldn't write out numbers that are times (3:30 PM) or prices ($4.95).
Where other numbers are concerned, I'd stop writing out numbers over 20. Not only are numbers like "twenty-two" hard on the eyes, they quickly get complicated and once you get over 100, it's impossible to write them out and have readers follow you. Besides, do you know if those numbers need to be loose, hyphenated or strung together?

Yes, starting a setences with "and" or "but" is totally acceptable, especially in fiction, however, you need to know what you're doing. Often it's more logical to make that sentence a clause of the previous one, but in fiction you can have something like:

"And after you finished your breakfast, I want you to clean your room, Charlie."

"But mom!"

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From my journalism days, CP style (and I think AP style) was to write the number out if it began the sentence, no matter what number. Within the sentence, numbers nine and below were written out -- everything above could use the actual number. Time and units of measurement were never written out.

Not sure how accurate that still is, but I've been using it all along.

Can't help you much on "And" and "But". I'm actually having having that debate with a friend already.

Michelle

ModoReese said:

From my journalism days, CP style (and I think AP style) was to write the number out if it began the sentence, no matter what number. Within the sentence, numbers nine and below were written out -- everything above could use the actual number. Time and units of measurement were never written out.

Not sure how accurate that still is, but I've been using it all along.

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That's what I learned, too.

As for but/and, I do it in dialogue, both spoken and internal. Otherwise I try to avoid starting a sentence with either.

That's what i learned as well. Ten and over is numerics anything less (or at the start of a sentence) is written out.