I am often asked, “How do you write an index?” This is often followed by, “Do you actually read the whole book?”

Yes, actually, I do read the whole book. I need to know and understand the content that I am to direct the reader to. A computer search function may be able to pick out words and phrases, but only I, as the reader, can figure out (hopefully) what the text means.

But leaving aside the question of how an index is written, I’ve been thinking recently about the experience of writing an index. What kind of metaphors are used to describe an index and the indexing process? Though an index is a concrete object (or as concrete as a digital object can be, if the index is in digital form), the idea of an index and the creation of an index can seem pretty abstract.

Many indexers compare an index to a map. This makes sense in that both an index and a map are supposed to help you find what you want, or where you are going. Both try to identify and highlight the information that is most relevant for its audience, making the information more readily comprehensible. The indexer, then, becomes a mapmaker, and writing an index mapmaking.

When I first started indexing I thought of it as piecing together a puzzle. This soon evolved to piecing together a 3D puzzle. There was something about the layering of information in an index, through subheadings, nested entries, double-posts, cross-references, and learning how to deal with the metatopic that, in my mind, added dimensionality to the index. The puzzle part was figuring out how all the different components and pieces of information fit together in a coherent, searchable format.

More recently, I’ve been thinking about indexing in terms of building a house. The initial reading through the text and creating entries is like the unearthing of the building materials, and arranging these materials in the place where I think they should go. But until I get to the end of the book, I don’t know yet what all of my building materials will be, nor do I have a firm blueprint. Once I start editing the index, I can finalize the construction of my index/house. I can decide that yes, this is where this 2 x 4 is supposed to be, and hammer it into place. Or, maybe I realize it needs to be adjusted or moved, and I can do that and then hammer it in. It is immensely satisfying hammering a board into place.

What kind of metaphors do you use to describe indexing or indexes?