[SIGCIS-Members] Slightly off-topic: question about writing books....

[Evan Koblentz]

I have a question about how to write history.  I hope it's not 
inappropriate or too elementary to ask here.

The vast majority of my writing is hard news and feature articles for 
technology trade magazines using AP style.  So it's very difficult for 
me to break the habit of writing "he said" (or similar) after most 
sentences.  But as I write the manuscript for my first computer history 
book, I'm encountering situations where that is clearly not the best 
approach, because it interrupts the flow of the story.  How do those of 
you who write computer history books handle the attribution when telling 
a never-before-told story?  Put another way, what are good ways to 
footnote a whole paragraph or section without littering the page?  The 
manuscript is full of what I can't help calling "scoops" because the 
journalistic approach is all I know how to do, so I feel it's necessary 
to cite the source of everything before readers question why they 
haven't heard these stories before.  Quite frankly, it's important to me 
that what I publish is considered credible by SIGCIS members!  :)

Thanks in advance --
- Evan