One problem I see with writing in hypertext is that transitions become unimportant. In a normal essay, I have to come up with transitional words, words like "therefore", "however", "in addition," sentences ("These examples clearly demonstrate that there is a connection between the military and American industry."), and concepts ("The relationship between these 2 historical events is...") to string together my written thoughts. I find it educational to search for these links and explicitly state them. When I write in hypertext, on the other hand, all I have to do is see some potential relationship between two lexias. A point and a click later, the link exists. I don't have to ponder the relationship and explain it; I just have to have a fleeting connection in mind and then leave the reader with the job of deciphering my train of thought. I worry that this type of linking makes the writer lazy, for clarity in written expression should not suffer in any medium.
I reveal six types of connections that can be made in this haphazard manner:
1. digital: link two lexias together because they both contain the same interesting word, term, or phrase. Some of the words I have used for this purpose in other projects include "death of the author", "invisible", and "clash."
2. authorial: link together two related or contrasting pieces by the same author, or two excerpts from different authors.
3. continuous: break up a citation into two parts and link them together. Make the break so the separation occurs right before the surprising part of the lexia, right before the 'zinger.'
4. contrast: link together two contrasting theoretical perspectives
5. description: offer a link after presenting an idea in one lexia. Following the link takes the reader to a more detailed, deeper examination of the material. Hint: Images are useful for this type of link, since pictures give a deeper representation of concepts.
6. conceptual: link together two lexias that have an interesting conceptual relationship This is the kind of link that is the least haphazard, and does work well in the hypertextual medium.