The Text/Media Block
In hypertext, the author composes small units, called text (or text/photo/media) blocks (or lexia, to be technical) and links them together. On the one hand, this eases the stress of writing and designing, allowing the composer to work on discrete units, rather than on a single long composition. Despite the best efforts of elementary and high school teachers to make us begin a text at the beginning and work through to the end, many of us still write (and think) in segments that may belong at any point in our narrative. We accumulate text/media rather than compose in a linear flow. Thus, hypertext/media may seem a very natural way to compose for many of us.On the other hand, George Landow, a pioneering hypertext writer and theorist, argues that screen-based composers need to pay particular attention to 'arrivals' and 'departures' - the first sentences your reader encounters in arriving at a screen and the last sentences she encounters as she leaves. Each screen of content, of whatever length, needs to be shaped like a mini-argument, with a beginning, a middle and an end.
New composers often think the medium eliminates the need for introductions and conclusions. In fact, it multiplies them. For example, if you have five text/media blocks in your argument, exposition, reflection or creative piece, you have to negotiate five beginnings and five endings. And you may have two, three, or even four sections to each screen, especially if your screen is primarily text. Short paragraphs, and informative/witty sub-headings invite your reader/viewer to encounter your work.