1. “Never split infinitives.” Split ‘em. This rule was made up in the 1600s by the first grammarians, who thought that English should match Latin. In Latin, infinitives are one word, so they can’t be split. In English, they are two words: to go. So there is no reason why we can’t slip an adverb [...]
December 20, 2008
We are hardly remembering to do neurofeedback and heart-rate variability training now. Occasionally we squeeze it in on a weekend. Phasing out the meds has been a breeze so far. We are now at 1/8 dose and should be off everything completely next week. We haven’t seen much to be concerned about. I pronounce the [...]
December 7, 2008
If you’ve followed the first three parts of this series, you should have a saved draft index in page-by-page order, as well as a copy named Index 1 which is the one you will be working with. In this part, you will alphabetize and start sorting Index 1. 1. Select All and Sort. In the [...]
December 5, 2008
The two previous posts explained the basics of indexing and index structure. This posting will explain how to use MS Word to create an index. MS Word is a bit clunky for indexing, and it involves a lot of extra typing that you will delete in the end. But it does work if you follow [...]
December 4, 2008
This posting follows How to index a book Part 1. We’re now going to look at the structure and style of the index. You need to get that right before you start, because it’s hard to change later on. 1. Get an indexing book from the library. You’re going to need a resource, especially if [...]
December 3, 2008
Congratulations on getting your book accepted by a publisher! But now you’ve been asked to index the book. My advice — Hire a professional indexer. An index costs a bit of money, but what’s your time worth? Indexers use specialized software that speeds up the process. They also have years of experience and know how [...]
December 30, 2008
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