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A Writer’s Fanfare

September 23, 2022 Post a comment

In the 1950s, my interest was captured by Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew series. Each holiday, I would request the latest Nancy Drew title, and on receiving it, I would curl up in an oversized chair and begin reading the fast-paced adventure.

Whereby, I dabbled at creating my own mystery stories at an early age. My first effort detailed a long, frightening chase by a sinister man. A dark tunnel appeared, leading to (of course) a haunted mansion. The not-so-brilliant ending had me saved by the man of my life at the time — my father.

My parents and teachers would often tell me, “Patty, you are a dreamer. You have a vivid imagination. Put it to good use.” It was at that point, in lieu of playing with friends or watching the new small-box-wonder — TV — I sat at an old desk in the kitchen and wrote mystery stories. I also drew stick figures to illustrate the action in the stories. The discovery of boys replaced pen and paper. The telephone became my favorite instrument, and I lost interest in reading and writing until a formidable nun taught me English in high school. With her teaching skills and persistence, she developed writing skills in me that I never knew I had. I won a major writing contest at school that year, shining a bright light on the school, teacher, and myself.

With a revival of interest from my childhood, I picked up where I left off, writing saleable poetry and a variety of articles, essays, and short stories. Presently, I am penning novels to include mainstream stories and my favorite, mysteries.

Two favorite characters I have created for general entertainment are Gert Carver and Nina Westacott. Friends for many years, the two women pursue bottle mining and flea market quests. I was fortunate to have a close relationship with two aunts. The idea came to mind to express how their uniqueness affected me as a child. I wished to pass the essence of their warm and zany personalities on to others and I fictionalized them.

In writing mystery stories, I am determined to have justice served. My recent sojourn to the Rensselaer County Courthouse for jury selection impressed upon me that perpetrators have more rights than victims. It confirmed what I already knew: people are victimized once during the actual crime and once during the detailing of the sordid events leading to the crime at the trial. Can anyone blame a person who refuses to go through a debilitating trial? Hence, the perpetrator gets away with a plea bargain or less and walks away a free man. Often, he/she commits a similar crime. I would like to shadow dedicated professionals of the justice system and put into writing the need for more honesty and integrity.

Ideas for a writer’s fanfare are everywhere. Newspapers are a good source for material; just study the headlines. What if …?

 

Patricia Crandall has published eight books as well as numerous articles and short stories in various magazines and newspapers. In November 2022, she will publish Lacy O’Dunn, The Rookie, a crime/thriller involving drugs and car bashing senior citizens on icy winter roads. She is also working on a book of short story mysteries to be published in 2023. A member of Sisters in Crime (Mavens) and National Association of Independent Writer & Editors, she lives with her husband, Art, and a rescue cat, Bette, at Babcock Lake in the Grafton Mountains near Petersburgh, New York. She has two children and three grandchildren who live nearby.

Categories: Member Articles

Indexing Basics

April 1, 2022 Post a comment

Indexing is a form of writing—probably the only form of writing in which the goal is to get the reader out of your creation as soon as possible. A criterion of the American Society for Indexing’s (ASI’s) annual indexing competition requires an index to bring together references to similar concepts that are scattered in the text or that are expressed in varying terminology.

Understanding and organizing the information and ideas in a text and creating a helpful index requires a human touch; a computer cannot write a useful index. Indexer Do Mi Stauber gives an example in her book Facing the Text. I’ve emphasized the words a computer would probably index.

The progress of jazz from the margins to the center serves as a powerful and resonant symbol for racial progress, as when Gillespie . . . accompanied a Southern peanut-farmer-turned-president singing “Salt Peanuts” at the White House in 1978.

While all these terms are correct, a main subject is unnamed; only a human being (probably one over 50) could recall the peanut-farmer-turned-president as Jimmy Carter. A computer is incapable of life experience and background knowledge, so places, inferred ideas, and other significant information not plainly stated would be omitted.

 

Who Should Write an Index?

While the author is the expert on their subject, they are generally too close to the subject and lack familiarity with what makes a good index and the indexing process in general. I’ve seen author-written indexes list dozens of page numbers for one entry with no context. (Professional indexers generally create subheadings once there are five to seven locators under a main entry.) How frustrated would you be when you got to the ninth or thirteenth or twentieth entry and still hadn’t found what you were looking for?

A professional indexer can also be objective, making the index more useful and valuable to readers. This isn’t to say that NO author can or should write the index for their own book, but when it’s not their specialty, the index will take longer and likely not be as useful as if they hired a professional.

That is probably why most indexing is done by freelancers hired by authors, publishers, or book packagers. Many texts benefit from a well-written index, including

  • nonfiction books
  • databases
  • websites
  • corporate materials
  • legal documents
  • catalogs and periodicals
  • e-books

 

Getting Started

To get started, you need internet connectivity, a computer with good word-processing software, and dedicated indexing software. Why special indexing software? Consider just two ways to index without it.

  1. Indexing in Word requires many steps, is tedious, and doesn’t show a preview as the index builds. Word add-ons, such as IndexConvert and IndexExploit created by Barry Campbell, WordEmbed by James Lamb, and DEXembed by Jack Lyon, make indexing in Word easier and faster, but are still workarounds.
  1. Another way to index is using InDesign, which was intended for graphic designers to create pamphlets, catalogs, and such—not for indexing. Again, several steps are required to create or view entries. So, what’s a better way?

 

Dedicated Indexing Software

There are currently three main indexing programs. I use SKY because I found it most similar to a PC. Another is Cindex, which to me, seems a hybrid between a PC and DOS-based program. Then there’s Macrex, which is DOS-based.

Fortunately, the UC Berkeley course, Indexing: Theory and Application, requires students to submit a couple of assignments in all three programs to see how they work and which they prefer to use.

How does a dedicated program improve the process? It puts entries into alphabetical order, runs page numbers entered into numerical order if there is a short string of them, and allows viewing of the index as it builds with each entry. Comparing similar entries and compiling the index is much easier.

 

Indexing Workflow

To begin, I will receive page proofs for the book—images of the actual pages as they will appear, including final page numbers. I then read the page proofs, making a list of headings and subheadings and the location of each pertinent reference with the aid of my indexing software. As I read, I think of the best place to list concepts and information if I wanted to find them again later. I am creating a roadmap of the book for the reader. After completing the index, I edit it for structure, clarity, and consistency. Finally, I format it to the client’s specifications, proofread it several times, and submit it to the client.

But how do I know the amount of space allowed for the index, or whether to capitalize all main headings or only proper nouns? Or if the client wants page numbers in full or abbreviated? Sometimes, I am given specific instructions, but if not, I send a spec sheet to my clients indicating the options available. Most publishers specify at least a few requirements, but whether or not to put a C or D in between the index sections or how to present function words, such as the A in A Tale of Two Cities, is often left up to the clients. Many times, they won’t have a preference and will just ask me to use my judgment.

 

Embedded Indexes

Besides writing standard back-of-the-book indexes, I also write embedded indexes, which use invisible hyperlinks to take the reader directly to the passage indicated. Embedded indexes are especially useful for e-books. An e-book index that is not clickable is just about worthless since page size and device type usually make the location inaccurate anyway.

Although not ideal for indexing, programs like Microsoft Word, Adobe InDesign, and Quark Xpress can be used to create embedded indexes. But again, there is a better solution, and it’s called Index-Manager.

I upload an InDesign or Word file into Index-Manager, which then opens a copy of the text. I can highlight text—a word, phrase, paragraph, or even a whole section—and anchor its place by embedding a marker. Customer support for Index-Manager is excellent, and the developer offers free training classes every couple of weeks. I highly recommend the program to anyone who wants to write embedded indexes.

Not all indexers embed, but it is a growing field and something to consider. I added it almost as soon as I heard about it, and it’s my favorite way to index.

 

Benefits of a Freelance Indexing Career

Quality indexes are important to publishers, as well as readers, and the field is only growing. Freelancing allows you to choose your own hours, rates, and projects with very little equipment and cost.

If you are a writer or an editor, you probably already possess most of the skills required to make a good indexer: excellent language and analytic talents, high clerical aptitude and organizing skills, above-average accuracy and attention to detail, and a love of books and reading.

 

What Can You Earn?

It depends on several factors: how much you want to work, finding enough clients to keep you busy, how you set your prices (usually $2 to $10 per indexable page or more), your level of skill and experience. Newer indexers will initially earn less than experienced indexers. Be sure to talk to current professional indexers before signing up for training or quitting your day job.

A couple of months ago, I indexed a 1,500-page book. Since I only want to work part-time, it took me about five weeks or 100 hours. I earned over $6,000, or $60/hr. The client was a referral from another, related company I had worked with a few months prior. I know many freelancers who earn a full-time wage indexing; it is a viable source of primary income once an indexer is established.

 

Education Required

Indexing does not require a fancy professional certification, degree, or specific credentials unless a client is looking for someone with subject matter expertise for a technical book. However, some education is vital. Here is a comparison of the two main comprehensive indexing courses in the United States.

UC Berkeley Course

  • Instructor-led, plenty of feedback
  • 3-unit credit available
  • Regular assignments and due dates
  • Uses main indexing programs
  • Six months to complete
  • $810

American Society for Indexing Course

  • Student led; limited feedback
  • Divided into four modules
  • Self-paced
  • Recommends trialing programs
  • Four years to complete
  • $695 + ASI membership ($199)

To see if indexing is a good fit for you, take Sylvia Coates’ free 8-hour intro course (https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/WHM7D7); it sanctioned my indexing plunge, and I enrolled in the unmatched UC Berkeley course. Indexing is a feasible career choice and is something to consider.

 

Heather Pendley (PendleysProEditing.com) is a freelance indexer and copy editor. She is an ASI Director at Large, the Membership & Social Media Committee VP for SD/PEN, was an EFA 2020–21 Board of Governors Member at Large, and judged ACES 2020 Headline Competition. Heather lives in the San Diego area with her family, which includes two rescue dogs.

Categories: Indexing, Member Articles

In Spite of Barriers, Women Make the Best Leaders

April 19, 2019 Post a comment

Studies show the ideal leader today is ethical, honest, trustworthy, and fair regarding employee expectations. These traits earn the respect of followers and are closely aligned with women leaders.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women comprise 47% of the U.S. labor force, yet lag substantially behind men when it comes to representing leadership positions. The good news is even though the gender wage gap has declined in most professions, the number of women climbing the ladder to management ranks has increased. But in spite of these achievements, women still face leadership challenges in the workplace.

 

Leadership Barriers Women Face

The glass ceiling metaphor and other limited opportunity metaphors like glass door and glass cliff remain as popular today as they did 10 years ago. When things go wrong and the group fails, women leaders are likely to get blamed even if the failure was caused by events that took place before they came on board. Women report having fewer support networks at work, not getting needed information, and not being acknowledged for their efforts.

Women are also more likely to experience burn out and become disillusioned with their jobs and organizations and may end up quitting as a result. Cultural expectations also work against women who aspire to become leaders. Many never seriously consider becoming leaders because the process of socialization has taught them leadership professions are only open to males.

Negative stereotypes and discrimination can lower the self-confidence for some women and make them reluctant to take risks or strive for leadership positions. And since our culture highlights nurturing roles of women, many enter service professions such as teaching, nursing, clerical work, or roles that support the larger organization.

 

Changes on the Horizon

Fortunately, attitudes toward women in leadership are changing, especially among the younger generation. As more women succeed in management roles, stereotypes will continue to erode. When this happens, women will experience less prejudice and more opportunities.

As global environments become more competitive, management styles are shifting away from old leadership styles to more transformational styles that emphasize communication, teamwork, and responsiveness. These leadership styles will benefit women in today’s workforce.

 

Gail McShan-Elly is a writer and blogger. She is married and believes greatness is achieved by serving others.

Categories: Member Articles

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