Here are the answers to questions people often ask me:
Q: How
did you become an indexer?
A: In my "previous life" I was a technical
writer for IBM Corporation in Charlotte, NC and I had to learn to index
the documentation I wrote. Fortunately, IBM had some excellent indexing
guidelines as well as a three-day indexing workshop. Prior to leaving IBM, I was
the lead instructor for the indexing workshop, which I delivered at IBM sites
throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Q: Why did you leave IBM?
A:
My husband wanted to take a job in Colorado (http://www.state.co.us/visit_dir/visitormenu.html).
Since IBM was downsizing, I decided it was a good time for me to take the
buy-out money and run! Now that memory seems like it was another lifetime.
Q: But then you left Colorado?
A: Yes. My husband's company was doing more business with clients on the East
Coast, and we jumped at the opportunity to move back to Charlotte, where we have
friends and family ... and where the altitude agrees with me. I had a sleeping
disorder in Colorado, so I constantly had to travel to catch up on my
sleep!
Q: How long did it take before you became a successful
freelancer?
A: Longer than it should have I suppose. However, I took the
"safe" route, accepting contract assignments as a technical writer until I found
myself working around the clock in an effort to keep up with my indexing
projects. Also, after developing my two day Indexing Skills Workshop for
Technical Communicators, I wanted to market it.
Q.
What do you do more - indexing projects or indexing
workshops?
A.
People always laugh when I say, "Indexing is my life!" but it's true. I divide
my time between working on indexing projects and
bopping around the country to deliver my indexing
workshops
Q. Do you ever do both at the same
time?
A. In a way, I do. My motto is: "Have laptop, will travel!" I often
work on indexing projects while I'm on airplanes and in hotel rooms. As long as
FedEx and UPS can find me, I can work just about anywhere. When I'm not working
on indexing projects or
presenting indexing workshop,
Im usually writing articles about indexing or
trying to catch up on my e-mail.
Q. Do you ever miss your
deadlines?
A. Never. I work fast, and I'm also conscientious. I'll do
whatever it takes to meet my commitment on deadlines, without letting the
quality of my indexes suffer.
Q. How can you do that?
A. I
didn't say it was easy ... but, as I said, I work fast. I use SKY Professional,
developed by Kamm Schreiner
(http://www.sky-software.com/), and I don't know what I would do without it. It
automatically sorts entries, and the abbreviation feature (creating
abbreviations for frequently used terms and acronyms) saves me a lot of
keystrokes and, at the same time, reduces the possibility of embarrassing typos.
Also, I must admit, I was lucky enough to get some good Interns from the
tech comm degree program at Metropolitan State College of Denver. After I've
trained them, they usually help me edit my indexes. Having another set of eyes
during the editing process is invaluable.
Q. Do you have
any children?
A. No. However, Madame Pooskavich (our
little fur-person) thinks she's "our baby."
Q. What does your
husband do?
A. He's into obsolete technology: restoring steam engines,
street cars, trolleys, Victorian railroad cars, and railroad artifacts of all
kinds. However, he is enough of a geek to have his own Web
site!
