From here, we begin to outline some a priori characteristics of hypertext. It's as important to know the pratfalls of this discussion as it is to know why these characteristics are important at all. I initially started this list as a way of responding to the surprising restrictiveness of Douglas's list of characteristics of interactive narratives. Anyone trying to outline what hypertext can and can't do (like Douglas) runs the risk of completely obviating any surprises a medium has in store. Bearing this in mind, my list is intentionally incomplete. It is a point of embarkation in shaping a nascent medium, but is not itself definitive. There is a need to promote those aesthetics which are unique to hypertext, less it turn into a gimmicky toy for academics. The genre has generated new and significant textual aesthetics. These are ones that will shape hypertext's evolution.