According to this 1965 article, authored by the American IT revolutionary T.H. Nelson, the future of writing with the aid of computers had very specific elements that would greatly aid the creative process. Nelson theorizes that using computers as a tool in writing could potentially cut down writing time by 50% for the same content, allows for easy changes in outlines, and (perhaps most prominently discussed in this article) features that allow strong associations between content in a way that allows access to all associated work to be much easier and faster.
The ELF and Modern Digital Composition
This last feature is coined the Evolutionary List File (or ELF), appropriately named due to its ability to be fluid and dynamic as the author of a work continues to mold and reshape his or her musings and revelations. This ELF can be broken down into three key pieces:
- Entries: In simple terms, and entry would be a defined piece of information or segment of writing entered in a digital format.
- Lists: The list contains entries that the author deems related in any order, which may be changed at any time or duplicated into an identical list which may then also be changed at any time.
- Links: The links combine the various links and entries to create a fluid experience when shifting from one subject to another closely related one. This is most closely aimed at Nelson’s desire to reduce writing time via cutting down on the time wasted attempting to search through various physical documents without an inherent link between any of them.