2018 conference

I tell my writer friends that a good way to find new ideas is to read a scholarly book that’s not quite in their field.

As an indexer of such books, I’ve been surprised to find new insights several times. For instance, in Collaborative Consultation in Mental Health, I learned about a proven process for mentoring. In Food Sovereignty, Agroecology, and Biocultural Diversity, I read a riveting story about a company that was struggling with cultural differences.

In a scholarly book that you wouldn’t normally choose to read, there are gems of knowledge that you would never know were there. And only an indexer would know that.

Mary Newberry and Judy Dunlop have been joyfully indexing scholarly books for years. Join us as they share their experiences in a joint presentation in Winnipeg, June 8 and 9.

JoAnne Burek

Indexing is actually a highly engaging activity, isn’t it?

Sure, we work alone. We may not even have a single face-to-face conversation all day. But as we get into reading the book in front of us, we go beyond being absorbed. We deeply engage on two fronts—with the meaning of the text and with the minds of the future readers.

One of the secrets to happiness is doing engaging work. And that’s why most of us wouldn’t choose to do anything else.

But there is a down side to this choice, especially for freelancers. We have to manage clients, projects, schedules and personal responsibilities. If we don’t, the stress piles up and that’s just not fun.

So, what can we do to balance on the edge of maximum happiness and minimum stress?

Nan Badgett will give us strategies at the conference in Winnipeg June 8-9.

You can register here.

In the methodology of classic film editing, there are four orderly cuts to get to the final film. First, the film editor assembles the footage and puts the scenes in proper order. This product is called the rough cut.

Next, the editor, director, and producer review the sequences and footage selection and agree on a version that becomes the first cut.

Then the team zooms in on the details of the scenes and the rhythm and structure to create the fine cut.

Finally, the music and sound effects are added to create the final cut.

Considering how much money is poured into making a film, it’s only natural that the industry should have a film-editing methodology.

As an indexer, you pour a lot of time into your indexes. Have you thought about your index-editing methodology? (Or lack thereof?)

Come to the conference in Winnipeg on June 8-9, when Anne Fifer shares all her secrets on editing indexes. (First tip from Anne: It starts as soon as you write first entry.)