One the one hand writing cues is not a very difficult thing to do. You draw a line to the right edge of the page from the point where you the cue needs to be called and your right in the cue number, right? Very simple. However, like everything else in this guidebook there is a method that I use that always works. It always works for me and it always works for my students. But first let's talk about some definitions:
Cues:
EQ = Electrics Cue. I write electrics cues for lighting cues. This is very old school but then I am a very old guy. You could write LQ for writing a lighting cue and everyone would understand. For me EQ looks like nothing else and I have done shows where I have written a lot of them. What ever you choose to write just be consistent with it.
SQ = Sound Cue. Since sound has gone on digital the numbering system for sound has changed. What used to be alphabetical has become numbered. We generally start Sound Cues at 100 and go up by fives so that they don't appear to be the same as light cues.
RQ = Rail Cue. Rail Cues are cued differently than light or sound cues. While lights and sound are verbal Go's, rail cues are warned verbally and cued by turning OFF their warning light.
SpQ = Spot Cue. Most of the time if the show is heavily cued with spots I will ask for a front of house operator for the follow spots. If there are only a few cues then I will incorporate them into my script. But since followspot operation requires much more conversation I prefer to pull them off my script and add them to someone else. I even give them their own channel to use as well.
AQ = Automation Cue. You would need to define which is being automated if there are more than one. For example; WQ1 for multiple winches. AQ1 if there are more than 1 operator, etc.
For me cues always follow the same order and purpose. A lighting cue (EQ) would look something like this:
with the conductors downbeat (5) EQ2 / GO
Here the cue is defined as happening with the conductors downbeat. The time of the cue is 5 counts "(5)", and the Cue number is 2. I added the GO after coming to Penn State. A lot of young stage managers will set up the cue, get everything ready, and forget the GO. So to insure they didn't do it again I simply added the GO at the end to remind them.
Sometimes more than one cue happen at the same time. These are groupings and they may look something like this:
(build downstage blues) on 5 of 8 (3) EQ 8 / GO
SQ 110 / GO
Here the Light and the Sound Cue go together.