Screenwriting : Letters and numbers by Tom Norton

I use numbers in character intros, Tom Norton. I write out numbers in action lines and dialogue, like "you two." I'll write "9-1-1" in action lines and dialogue though.

Dan Guardino Thanks. What about if you're saying something like 10 o'clock? 10 is only 3 letters but if it's referring to a specific time, is it letter or number appropriate?

"AGE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER" - Pretty Ricky VOICE

In proper English usage, numbers one through ten (some say nine) are written, the rest are numbers unless starting a sentence (years excluded), "Fifty-two cards in a deck." "2021 is a year best forgotten."

Numbers as words or numbers follow even in the same sentence, "Let's go to three zoos to see 100 animals."

Let the endless debate begin.

Tom Norton The outdated Chicago Manual of Style prefers numbers higher than ten be written out. The more contemporary Strunk and White (who also publish a screenwriters edition) and AP Stylebook use written only to nine or ten. The bellwether is The New York Times which stops at ten. Time is a number in contemporary usage; 11 o'clock.

English is organic. It responds to changes in the world.

the general advice is always to write the numbers out like "twelve", but i just write most numbers as 12 because it's shorter!

Advice from what source?

In a competitive marketplace everything matters.

Nearly all feedback has a section for Craft. The proper use of grammar is an asset, not a liability, for writers.

This is so good.

Nice Mike Childress

Mike Childress Do you realize we're not talking about structure or writing protocols (whatever that means). It's not screenwriting rules, it's basic, proper English usage. It's easily found and there is consensus which has been gleaned and delivered here.

Then again, when I was assembled they left out the Cynical and Hostile bones.

And use English properly.

I agree with E. There’s a certain base level of competence you should display as a writer to be professional. Style guides, though they may contradict each other, are generally a good place to start.

If I see someone write “hey you 2,” that would be a red flag that the grammar elsewhere is going to be rough.

Here’s a couple articles that can help. https://johnaugust.com/2010/numbers-in-dialogue

https://screenwriting.io/how-should-you-handle-numbers-or-confusing-jargon-in-dialogue/

@Mike Boas those links were helpful and thanks to everyone else as well. But what about if you're writing a title like Frozen II? Number 2, Roman numeral II, or word two? I'm using the word everywhere else.

TL: DR

Letters, words, sentences, paragraphs.

Oppsie, gotta go. Have a consult with the Oracle on Mount Scriptus.to attain TRUE KNOWLEDGE. LOL Maybe a Profiler from the FABEYE will help. Thanks for the laughs though.

When I used to do corporate comms, the rule was use numerals for <11 and alpha for everything above.

This ended up continuing to go where I thought it would. LOL.

As a novelist, I write numbers out as words, except years (ie: 2024). A good bit of advice I saw somewhere for screenplays though was to think of how you want the actor to say it because even a year can be said as twenty twenty-four or two thousand twenty-four. 911 can be nine one one or nine eleven. So, if it's important for the actor to say it a certain way, write it out. For me...I'll do the ages in character intros numerically, but anything in dialog or narrative will be written out as words. Both because the advice made sense to me and because...why confuse my brain when writing numbers as numbers in a novel would scream ROOKIE! LOL