On Wed, 25 Sep 2002, Jan Coker wrote:
> Allan,
> Are you suggesting that there are different methods for writing or
> are you suggesting that there is a method which should be used by all?
Clearly, I did not make my position clear, but it is the former - there
are many paths to righteousness. However, I am suggesting that whatever
method the writer uses to get started or to generate text, at some point
the writer must identify a definite logic and structure in the text. Hence
the comment of either starting with the outline (skeleton) and fleshing it
out, OR creating some text (flesh) and looking inside for the structure.
The techniques are not antagonistic or exhaustive, and one writer may use
different techniques at different stages of a project or in different
contexts.
In this regard, I am doubtful whether compiling blocks of text on web
pages can be regarded as true writing, unless it is in the sense of
collecting related material. Such text made available as pure hypertext
does not have a particular logic that expresses the author's meaning; it
is a resource from which readers can extract whatever they want. This
parallels the distinction between "data" and "information" - the
difference between having a book of train timetables and having
instructions on how to make a specific journey. Readers of web pages also
generally have the problem of not knowing the boundaries: how often have
you visited a web site and been unaware which pages are within the site
and which are linked, or whether you have found all the material on the
site?
The structure of hypertext was a discussion topic in the 1990s but seems
to have died - the web is as it is, anarchic and variable. In respect of
writing up research, I still think there is scope for hypertext with
*multiple* threads, but these should be identified and signposted by the
author, with each thread leading from introduction to specific
conclusions. Universities have generally resolutely refused to consider
changing their definition of a thesis, a definition that was premised
on the needs of the 19th century.
R. Allan Reese Email: [log in to unmask]
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