This has been bugging me for a while, but how do you write your numbers? I can't help but feel like reading written numbers makes any story more of a slog to go through, am I wrong? Is my perception just flawed and distorted from all the Litrpg in this platform? I would love to know what people thinks bout this

Edit: I didn't know where to post this, but I used the assistance thread mainly because I would like to make a final decision as to how write numbers in my story. I am using their numeric forms as of now, but some insight would be helpful.

It depends. There is a general writing guideline that basically state anything ten and below, should be written out. Anything above 11 and above, you should just write the number.

Take that as you will.

LJ Wrote: It depends. There is a general writing guideline that basically state anything ten and below, should be written out. Anything above 11 and above, you should just write the number.

Take that as you will.

I've usually heard the guideline as anything ninety-nine or less should be written out, and anything 100 or more should be done with digits. 

To be clear, I mean this in the context of a sentence.  For a table or spreadsheet or whatnot, never write it out. 

luda305 Wrote:

LJ Wrote: It depends. There is a general writing guideline that basically state anything ten and below, should be written out. Anything above 11 and above, you should just write the number.

Take that as you will.

I've usually heard the guideline as anything ninety-nine or less should be written out, and anything 100 or more should be done with digits. 

To be clear, I mean this in the context of a sentence.  For a table or spreadsheet or whatnot, never write it out.

Yeah I get it.
But abscond with guidelines, how do you humans feel about reading numbers written or in numeric form?

I usually go with writing it out (“thirteen years later,” “five days passed”) unless it’s a part of a date, like the year—which might be a given. If it’s a ridiculous number above the 100s, though, I’d appreciate it being written in numbers.

Whichever way you choose to do it, be consistent. I write them out in my current story, but if I was doing say a litRPG I would probably keep them in numeric form.

I write them how they would be normally displayed if you saw them in real life, or within other media. It changes from situation to situation, but generally, I view them like this:
Level 5
30 Years Old
Three Stooges
Two or three people
5'2"
A couple of feet up
Rank 17
112 Rep
Team Three
Five uses of healing
Thirty-six days / 101 days (100+ is the number)
60/70

PinkRose0106 Wrote: I usually go with writing it out (“thirteen years later,” “five days passed”) unless it’s a part of a date, like the year—which might be a given. If it’s a ridiculous number above the 100s, though, I’d appreciate it being written in numbers.

A number higher than 100 is ridiculous? 

According to the Chicago Manual of Style (which is only one style guide. I'm sure others do it differently, but this is a regularly used one in American English publishing), you spell out numbers from zero to one hundred: zero, ten, twenty, thirty-five, one hundred. Then, starting with 101, you use the numeral: 101, 203, 5,635, etc. 

I see. I think I have found my style, thank you everyone who contributed

This was a very fun thread to read.

I would add to this conversation that any number expressed by a character (withing quotation marks) be spelled out no matter what its size may be. 🐧

Crop Wrote: Yeah I get it.
But abscond with guidelines, how do you humans feel about reading numbers written or in numeric form?

I tend to avoid numbers in general when writing. I don't like placing numeric values on things. Mostly because I have trouble equating numbers with the tangible.  So when reading, I don't pay much attention to numbers either. I will forget them.

LJ Wrote:

Crop Wrote: Yeah I get it.
But abscond with guidelines, how do you humans feel about reading numbers written or in numeric form?

I tend to avoid number in general when writing. I don't like placing numeric values on things. Mostly because I have trouble equating a number with the tangible.  So when reading, I don't pay much attention to numbers either. I will forget them.

That's fair, but how do you say your main character are two donuts? Just "they savoured their donuts"?

eighty-5

I write them out until it gets too big to say. I'd say one-hundred and one-hundred thousand but if it gets into the exacts, then I'd rather type 23,472 over two hundred thousand, four hundred and seventy two. Even trying to read that it gets a bit muddled in my head so I imagine others feel the same.

Crop Wrote: That's fair, but how do you say your main character are two donuts? Just "they savoured their donuts"?

The latter on editing. I might write it out but then realize, because of the context, the number doesn't matter. In fact, it most of the stuff I write, I don't really need numbers.

LJ Wrote:

Crop Wrote: That's fair, but how do you say your main character are two donuts? Just "they savoured their donuts"?

The latter on editing. I might write it out but then realize, because of the context, the number doesn't matter. In fact, it most of the stuff I write, I don't really need numbers.

It be like that