Non-Linear Writing: The Recombinant Shape of Text

Web copy represents a shift to non-linear writing. Non-linear writing was first made possible by the use of hyperlinks: instead of having to bind together concrete pages of text, hyperlinks allowed for a document to be written, and read, in layers.

Ever deepening layers allowed the reader to understand the narrative depending on what they wished to know next. Although this process is arguably not much different from reading a book “out of order”, the author of the non-linear text had to now expect that the text would not be read in order as there was no determined order.

In doing so, the author could hyperlink into ever narrowing specificity, or alternatively, link back into a broader explanation. Each individual user would determine the order the text would take.

In a sense, then, non-linear writing is still linear in that only one pathway can ever be chosen. However, it is up to the user to decide which pathway to take.

As such, providing clear pathways is very much a crucial element of effective web copy. This relates to how copy layout very much informs the way that copy is written.

Copy is written in “chunks” of information that lead in and out of other pieces of information. The way each topic is bound to another piece has to be deliberately dealt with by the copywriter. The copywriter needs to anticipate various angles in which the information can be understood.

In other words, the user will no longer simply follow along with what the writer dictates. The user follows along on his or her own terms. However, these terms are ultimately dictated by the technology available on the web.

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