%, Percent, Percentage, etc

[Bobple]

Eh, was writing and figured I might as well ask a stupid question.

So! When you are writing and a character says something about percentage, what do you use?

E.g. the poll responses.

Anyway, that is for me. Have fun & wonderful day

 

[ThrillingHuman]

hyaku pasento!

 

[AmeronWerschrux]

百パーセント!

hyaku pasento!

 

[John_Owl]

Eh, was writing and figured I might as well ask a stupid question.

So! When you are writing and a character says something about percentage, what do you use?

E.g. the poll responses.

Anyway, that is for me. Have fun & wonderful day

I'm stubborn and don't use numerals. That said, I do use numerals in the rare cases when it's in a written note, a letter, on a system screen, etc. I write those EXACTLY as I want it to be seen. I've even been debating on using images to convey those in future stories. (I.e. screenshot the note, stylized, and placed into the chapter as an image, then wrapping text above/below it.

 

[ACertainPassingUser]

It changes between character speaking, narrative, and how a character would prefer to use it tho.

Its not rigid for every character.

Some character would need to use percentage, some character actually measure it, some character will not use percentage and use very rough measure that isn't accurate at all because its convenient for them. Some people just straight up lie while they know/dont know.

Its quite important to tell readers the truth tho.

 

[Bobple]

It changes between character speaking, narrative, and how a character would prefer to use it tho.

Its not rigid for every character.

Some character would need to use percentage, some character actually measure it, some character will not use percentage and use very rough measure that isn't accurate at all because its convenient for them. Some people just straight up lie while they know/dont know.

Its quite important to tell readers the truth tho.

More about if your were to use a percentage, how would you as an author write it . (%, -percent, etc).

 

[TheKillingAlice]

I'm stubborn and don't use numerals. That said, I do use numerals in the rare cases when it's in a written note, a letter, on a system screen, etc. I write those EXACTLY as I want it to be seen. I've even been debating on using images to convey those in future stories. (I.e. screenshot the note, stylized, and placed into the chapter as an image, then wrapping text above/below it.

That is, literally, what I was going to say, down to the images for status screens and stuff, since I have one LitRPG.

 

[John_Owl]

That is, literally, what I was going to say, down to the images for status screens and stuff, since I have one LitRPG.

It's something I was thinking about with my story Two Faces. It's got a system as an actual character, which I use 1x1 grids with her dialogue currently. I was considering creating an actual Dialogue Box for her.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

It's something I was thinking about with my story Two Faces. It's got a system as an actual character, which I use 1x1 grids with her dialogue currently. I was considering creating an actual Dialogue Box for her.

Yeah, seems logical. I just don't like those grids, especially since you can't use them on every site the same way. It's obviously easier if I can change things fast, but I won't use statwindows in random situations and I've been playing with the idea to use images for every message from the system that is "shown" like a system message. Meaning, if I paraphrase the window-contents in dialogue of through a narrator, I will not put an image in, but if I "show" a window and let it speak for itself, that's when I would use an image.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Usually just spell it out - partly in case it is going to be run through an AI reader, and also with "smaller numbers" it is usually best to write them out.

 

[corruption]

For me, % would be used when using numerals

Percent and Percentage is a matter of grammer.
"What is the mortality percentage?"
"What percent is the mortality rate?"

 

[Fox-Trot-9]

I could 100% in narration or spell it out, one hundred percent. More likely, I'd use 100% in charts or those number boxes in litRPG, but in dialogue, I'd spell it out: "That's a hundred-percent certainty, my dude!" (used as an adjective) or "No, it's not a hundred percent." (used as a predicate)

 

[LoneQuack]

Different uses, different application.

 

[beast_regards]

Example:

[Chance of encountering cat girl of questionable age increased by 120%]

"One hundred and twenty? That's more than guaranteed!" the protagonist gasped at the number: "I must hurry before Chris Hansen arrives!"

The numbers and symbols should not be included in the written text at all.

The exception is the status screen in the LitRPG, since this is not conventional storytelling, but the narration and direct speech should be worded.

 

[3guanoff]

I use 'one hundred percent'. Unless...

• ... it is direct speech; then a character may use 'hundred percent' and 'a hundred percent', i.e., "Hundred percent, bro! That bizh is crazy, bro!"
• ... or I am feeling lazy and working on my very own webnovel, in which case I will type 100% and remind myself that it is a free webnovel.

 

[TheBestofSome]

One hundred percent, or a hundred percent. I'm not against using the other forms if the situation were to call for it, but using numerics (100) in regular prose has always felt lazy to me. Better to spell it out unless there's a good reason not to.