Interactive Media

Writing for Multimedia and the Web

Garrand’s Writing for Multimedia and the Web is the best textbook I’ve found for

examining the theory and practice of multimedia writing. The text is straightfor￾ward, and the case studies and tools facilitate student achievement. I’ve tried several

other texts for my Writing for Multimedia course, but I always return to Garrand.

His book sets the standard in the field.

—Michael Huntsberger, Ph.D., University of Oregon

Writing for Multimedia and the Web is really working well for a college course I

teach titled, “Writing and Interactive Design.” I have used the text for more than

5 years and it is the best book overall that I have seen that is a good balance of

application and theory.

—Ken Loge, Oregon Research Institute. Applied Computer Simulations Lab

Writing for Multimedia and the Web is a book for rank beginners and experienced

professionals alike, for the neophyte student or the traditional media writers who

want to expand their skills. Teachers will find it invaluable as a text and schol￾ars will appreciate the way Garrand integrates theory with application. How can he

accomplish so much for such a varied audience? With a smart balance of interviews,

explanation, and examples. The novice can work his way through from the begin￾ning, where Garrand, patiently supplies a succinct overview of the field, replete

with definitions and an easy to understand description of where the media writer

fits into this dizzying process. The veteran writer, on the other hand, will enjoy the

first hand accounts and insights about approaches and processes from the numerous

writers that Garrand interviewed for his book.

Tim Garrand’s Writing for Multimedia and the Web continues to be the “must

have” book for any writer, aspiring or otherwise, student or teacher interested in

this burgeoning field.

—Dr. Gregg Bachman, Chair, Department of Communication,

The University of Tampa

Writing for Multimedia

and the Web

A Practical Guide to Content Development for

Interactive Media

THIRD EDITION

Timothy Garrand

AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON

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Copyright © 2006, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in

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without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights

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e-mail: [email protected]. You may also complete your request online

via the Elsevier home page (http://elsevier.com), by selecting “Support & Contact”

then “Copyright and Permission” and then “Obtaining Permissions.”

Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, Elsevier prints its books on

acid-free paper whenever possible.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Garrand, Timothy Paul.

Writing for multimedia and the Web/Timothy Garrand.– 3rd ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-240-80822-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 0-240-80822-3 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Interactive multimedia–Authorship. 2. World

Wide Web. I. Title.

QA76.76.I59G37 2006

006.7’8–dc22

2006008399

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 13: 978-0-240-80822-2

ISBN 10: 0-240-80822-3

For information on all Focal Press publications

visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com

06 07 08 09 10 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United States of America

To my wife Anne and daughter Danielle, for all the weekends and vacations I had to

hide away to work on the book. Thank you for your support.

To Teachers

In addition to being a popular book with professional writers, this book has also

been successful in the classroom. One teacher who uses the book wrote:

I have used the text in my class for more than 5 years and it is the best book overall that I

have seen that is a good balance of application and theory.

Ken Loge, Oregon Research Institute

Courses Using This Book

This book has been used for several types of courses including:

• Writing for the web and multimedia

• Interactive design

• Interactive media production courses, as the content component paired with

a more technical text

• Interactive media studies, providing a solid overview of many types of

interactive media

Teaching Manual

To see sample syllabi, assignments, and other tips for using the book and

CD-ROM in the classroom, instructors can access the free electronic teaching guide

that accompanies this book by visiting:

http://textbooks.elsevier.com

Once on the web site, register as an instructor, then request access to the media

technology subject area or search by author name or book title.

Instructors may also call (781) 313-4700 and ask for the textbook sales represen￾tative for Focal Press. For more general questions, you can call the general customer

service number at (800) 545-2522.

vii

viii To Teachers

Other Resources

See the book’s web site, http://www.interwrite.com/book, for additional infor￾mation and updates.

There are also complete case studies on the CD-ROM that are not in the book

as well as extensive additional material supporting the book chapters.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact the author

at [email protected].

To Users of the 2nd Edition Book

Some of the older but still valid case study chapters have been removed from

the book and placed on the book’s attached CD-ROM. Look at the CD-ROM’s

Chapters menu in the Case Studies: CD-ROM Only section. If you have a favorite

older case study, you can still use it in your classes by having the students view it

or print it out from the CD-ROM.

Writing for Multimedia and the Web

The Book at a Glance

Part I -- Interactive Media and the Writer

Part II -- Writing Info. Multimedia and Web Sites

Part III -- Writing Interactive Narrative

Part IV -- Interactive Writing Careers

Chapter 26 Becoming an Interactive Writer

Chapter 25 Key Points from Part III

Chapter 16 Key Points from Part II

Chapter 6 Key Points from Part I

Ch. 19 Intro. to Narrative Case Studies

Ch. 18 Elements of Interactive Narrative

Ch. 9 Intro. to Info. Case Studies

Ch. 7 Goals for Info. Multimedia and Web

Ch. 8 Info. Multimedia and Web Architecture

Ch. 17 Interactive versus Linear Narrative

Ch. 20

Puzzle Based

Games

Ch. 10

Marketing

Web Site

Ch. 11

Corporate

Web Site

Ch. 12

Web Feature

Story

Ch. 13

E-Learning

Lessons

Ch. 14

Museum

Kiosks

Ch. 15

Training

Program

Ch. 5

Writing

Formats

Ch. 4

The Produc–

tion Team

Ch. 3

Interactive

Writer Skills

Ch. 1

Interactivity

and The Writer

Ch. 2

Writing for

Many Media

Ch. 21

Story in

Sports Sim

Ch. 22

Parallel

Stories

Ch. 23

Worlds

Narrative

Ch. 24

Narrative in

Info. Program

Book Contents

Acknowledgments xxxi

Introduction xxxiii

Interactive Media and the Writer PART I

1

Interactivity and the Writer 3

Chapter Overview 3

Write It All! 3

Defining Interactive Multimedia and the Interactive Writer 4

Defining a Few Terms 4

Types of Interactive Multimedia 5

The Role of the Interactive Writer 6

Interactivity Versus Control 6

Potential Interactivity 6

Limits to Interactivity 6

Thinking Interactively 7

Thinking of All the Possibilities 7

Viewer Input 7

Knowing the User 8

Linking 9

Immediate or Direct Links: An Action 9

Indirect Links: A Reaction 9

Intelligent Links or Delayed Links: A Delayed Reaction 11

High-Level Design and Information Architecture 12

xi

xii Book Contents

Structure as an Interactive Device 12

Interface Design 12

Map or Sitemap 14

Metaphors 15

Input Devices 16

Interactive Devices 17

Icons 17

Menus and Other Text 17

Props 19

Characters 19

Challenge of the Interactive Device 20

Conclusion 20

References 20

2

Writing for Many Media 23

Chapter Overview 23

The Skills of the Interactive Writer 23

Text 24

Clear, Concise, and Personal 24

Web Writing Tips from Usability Experts 25

Who Edits Interactive Media Text? 28

Web Text Writing Example 30

Blog Writing Example and Writing Tips 31

Audio 32

E-Learning Narration Example 33

Narrative Audio-Only Example 33

Video 35

Informational Program Video Example 37

Computer Game Video Example 38

Conclusion 41

References 41

3

High-Level Design, Management, and Technical Skills Useful to

the Interactive Writer 43

Chapter Overview 43

High-Level Design, Content, and Project Management 43

Information and Interactive Architecture 43

High-Level Narrative Design 45

Book Contents xiii

Project Management 46

Content Expertise 46

Content Strategy 46

Web Site Marketing: Writing for Search Engines 47

Technical Skills 47

Flowcharting 47

Other Organizational Tools 52

WYSIWYG HTML Editors 54

Conclusion 54

References 55

4

The Multimedia and Web Site Production Team 57

Chapter Overview 57

The Writer 58

The Content Strategist 58

The Instructional Designer 58

The Information Architect or Interactive Architect 58

The Interface Designer 59

The Game Designer 59

The Usability Expert 59

The Subject Matter Expert 60

The Business Strategist 60

The Art Director/Creative Director/Graphic Artist 60

The Animator 60

The Project Manager 61

The Video/Audio Director/Developer 61

The Photographer/Videographer 61

The Voice Talent and Actors 61

The Programmer/Coder 62

The Product Manager 62

Conclusion 62

References 62

5

Script and Proposal Formatting 63

Chapter Overview 63

Scripting Software 63

Preliminary Documents: Outlines, Proposals, and Design Documents 64