There are many ways to write your hypertext story, just like there are lots of ways to write a linear story. But let's talk about the mechanical process of creating the story your readers will see.

1. You start by writing source code, which is the text of your story with special instructions on how it should be displayed. These special instructions are called Twee. You should use a text editor to do this, not a word processor. The difference is that text editors work with plain text only.
2. Once you're ready to create your story, you give your source code to a compiler. There are two kinds of compilers: twee, which uses Python and runs from a command line, and Tweebox, which has a graphical interface and runs on either Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.
   
   If you're not sure which to use, Tweebox is much simpler to set up.
3. The compiler then creates an HTML file that displays your story to readers. You can post this file to your own Web site, email it a friend, even burn it to a CD; it works in all these circumstances, and any Web browser released within the last few years will be able to view it without any plugins.

The engine that actually displays your story to readers and handles their mouse clicks is called Jonah. You don't need to remember this name, but it's helpful to keep in mind.