Presenting time--digits or words?

[Robinne Weiss]

In my latest MS, my editor has changed all my times to numbers (e.g. instead of ten o'clock, she's changed it to 10AM). I'm curious how you all write times in your stories, and how you prefer to see them in stories you read. Personally, I haven't got a strong opinion, but I'm quite certain I started writing my times out based on some advice or editing I'd received somewhere along the line. So what do you think? Is it ten o'clock, or 10AM?

 

[E G Logan]

Sounds as if your editor may be using a style book such as Associated Press (AP*). That is the big one for the many magazine and newspaper groups that use non-British-English.

Not sure about book publishers generally, but in the UK, OUP, BBC, FT and Economist all go for numbers in text. Not necessarily in the same way, though.

*AP says: "Use figures, except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 1 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 9-11 a.m., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m." Also, "The construction 4 o'clock is acceptable, but time listings with a.m. or p.m. are preferred."

BUT in quoted speech in a novel, I would imagine if you want to have a character say: "I'm going to see him at two-thirty/half past two/two o'clock/1400 hours" any of those is probably OK.

 

[Robert M Derry]

I think it depends on the publishing house style. I write whatever I feel like at the time. I don't have a preference.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Sounds as if your editor may be using a style book such as Associated Press (AP*). That is the big one for the many magazine and newspaper groups that use non-British-English.

Not sure about book publishers generally, but in the UK, OUP, BBC, FT and Economist all go for numbers in text. Not necessarily in the same way, though.

*AP says: "Use figures, except for noon and midnight. Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 1 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 9-11 a.m., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m." Also, "The construction 4 o'clock is acceptable, but time listings with a.m. or p.m. are preferred."

BUT in quoted speech in a novel, I would imagine if you want to have a character say: "I'm going to see him at two-thirty/half past two/two o'clock/1400 hours" any of those is probably OK.

Yeah, since I posted this, I've been looking at what different style manuals have to say about it and I've found all sorts of recommendations, some of them contradictory. The one I liked (and will probably use) is to write out times that aren't exact (e.g. The party officially started at eight o'clock, but didn't really get going until after eleven), and to use digits when the time is exact (e.g. He checked his watch--4:35 a.m. Where was she?)

And then there are all the guidelines around AM/PM vs am/pm vs a.m./p.m.; whether to use a colon (US) or period/full stop (NZ) between hours and minutes; whether to put a space between the digits and AM/PM or not ... the permutations and possibilities are endless.

 

[CageSage]

It usually comes down to the style guide used by the editor - which I generally ignore unless I'm subbing for a particular purpose.
I use the construction that the POV/dialogue character would use. If military, it's 1400 hrs. If not, it might be two o'clock (if it's not clear whether that's morning or afternoon, I'm lacking some setting). If it's written in a document read by a character, it will be based on an editorial style for the writer of the document (even if it's not based on a real company/business/entity).

 

[Eva Ulian]

If it's fiction, I would write it out in full, the same with age. I find it odd to see numbers in a story. But then, I'm way past my sell-by date.

 

[E G Logan]

It usually comes down to the style guide used by the editor - which I generally ignore unless I'm subbing for a particular purpose.
I use the construction that the POV/dialogue character would use. If military, it's 1400 hrs. If not, it might be two o'clock (if it's not clear whether that's morning or afternoon, I'm lacking some setting). If it's written in a document read by a character, it will be based on an editorial style for the writer of the document (even if it's not based on a real company/business/entity).

I agree entirely. But then, I would. I think we are both editors..?

 

[E G Logan]

In the last analysis, it's a choice. Either choose your own style, or, if in doubt, go for whichever style guide seems to suit you best. (Stylebooks can be unduly prescriptive, though.) Then apply your choice consistently.

But, saying that, I'd avoid anything too idiosyncratic in terms of your own style that might seem eccentric (?irritating ?infuriating) to an agent or publisher and risk putting them off.

 

[RK Wallis]

If it's fiction, I would write it out in full, the same with age.

I'd do this until an editor requests something different (traditionally), but as you self publish you have the freedom to choose the way you're most comfortable with, you don't have to listen to the editor, something in their background might not mesh with your vision. That's life.

I'd be more inclined to ask your no.1 fans what they prefer.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

Further to this conversation, I found this: Numbers in Fiction which is a nice, fiction-specific discussion of how to write numbers.