References are both more complex, and have already ingrained protocols. That is easy to design and implement in Storyspace 3. The reader is invited to visit it if they wish, and once they have done so, will be returned to the original writing space. Hypertext has no such limitations: a note will simply be a linked writing space from the main flow. But placing notes at the end of each chapter, or at the end of the whole work, is disruptive when a reader does wish to refer to a note. And that is one of the main differences between linear text and hypertext: the convenience of moving to a linked note.īooks and papers have the problem that placing a note on the same page as the text referring to it reduces the space available to the main content, and complicates page design. But, as this is not directly relevant to this account, it is best to hive it off into a separate writing space. We anticipate that many, probably most, readers will not want to see the contents of a note, at least at their first reading, but that that content needs to be provided without getting in the way of the main thread.įor example, I could here wax lyrical about Edward Tufte’s predilection for long sidenotes, a condition from which I suffer too. By notes (which includes sidenotes, footnotes, and endnotes) I mean short textual asides, which are not part of the main content by virtue of their limited relevance, or specialised nature. I will start with notes, which are the more generic, and first ask whether they remain a useful feature in hypertext. Before embarking on any significant non-fiction writing in Storyspace or any other authoring environment, it is essential to explore how notes and references can and should be handled. Much printed non-fiction is already decidedly non-linear, as it is interspersed with notes and/or citations of references.
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