It’s time to dig into cross-references again, picking up where I left off two weeks ago. If you missed that first reflection, you can read it here. I had a lot more to write than I initially thought about how I use, or don’t use, cross-references, which is why I… Read More »How I Use Cross-References (Part 2)
Some time ago a client asked me how I decide when to use cross-references and why certain arrays have cross-references and not others. Which is a good question. I decided to sit down and outline all of the different scenarios in which I use—or don’t use—cross-references, and, well, the list… Read More »How I Use Cross-References (Part 1)
I’m currently indexing a history of nuclear reactors. It is about 300,000 words. Meticulously researched and written, with a strong narrative. It is a big book, and it is taking a while to get through. It is also not the only large volume I’ve indexed this year. I feel like… Read More »Indexing Big Books
Welcome back to another Q&A, on the last Tuesday of the month. How are we already at the end of April? Today’s question is about granularity: How should I judge what level of granular information the reader will be looking for? Too many subheadings with the same locator is a… Read More »Q&A: Finding the Right Level of Granularity
I’ve written before about subheadings, most recently here and here. And I’ve been reflecting on them again. Subheadings are a crucial tool for breaking down large discussions and for differentiating nuances. More can definitely be written, looking at different contexts and scenarios. Recently, I’ve been thinking about how subheadings can… Read More »Repeating and Reusing Subheadings
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about corralling variants. That reflection dealt with names, of people and organizations. Names can vary, whether through the use of nicknames or shortened versions or through formal name changes. When writing an index, it is important to identify those variants and to somehow… Read More »Parsing Synonymous and Similar Terms
Welcome to another Q&A on this last Tuesday of the month! Today’s question is: A couple of times you referred to a mind map. Creating and using a mind map is a topic I’d benefit from your addressing in a future newsletter, if possible. Certainly. I’m happy to discuss mind… Read More »Q&A: How to Use Mind Maps When Indexing?
I recently finished indexing an Oxford handbook, which was the first Oxford handbook I’ve ever indexed. Definitely a challenge, particularly in regards to length—forty-five chapters, or about the equivalent of three or four regular-length edited collections. The time needed to draft and edit an index seems to grow exponentially the… Read More »Coralling Name Variants
Welcome to the last Tuesday of the month. It’s time for another Q&A. Today’s question comes from Clara, who writes: I’ve been learning indexing in my free time (and admittedly have plenty of it these days!) and would love some book recommendations to practice on — ideally titles that already… Read More »Q&A: How Can I Know if My Index is on the Right Track?
I’ve been thinking recently about why I enjoy writing indexes. Put another way, what would I lose if I handed the task over to an AI tool? Counterintuitively, I enjoy indexing because it is difficult. Sure, there are plenty of days I complain about a chapter being too obtuse or… Read More »Why I Enjoy Writing Indexes