Writers Forum #99 January 2010

AUTHOR MASTERCLASS
Tim Bouquet specialises
HOW I BECAME AN INDEXER (Advertising feature)
Where did you get the idea of becoming an indexer?
competitioncalendar
in investigative narrative
I was reading a letter in a magazine from a reader thanking them for a
story-telling for a variety of
careers article they ran years ago on Indexing – in fact there are now
a number of indexers in the Society of Indexers who found it this way.
titles including the Times and
I’m one of the second generation ‘Eve Girls’ who read the letter! She
was inspired; she took the course, and is now a fully qualified Indexer,
Telegraph magazines. He is the
earning money doing the thing she loves. And here I am, about to take
the test for Unit A of the Society of Indexers training course.
me:
co-author
‘When I ﬁ rst
, with Byr
starting writing
on Ouse

y, of Cold Steel.
What is an indexer?
I went to an evening class led by
someone who was, I now real-
readerTIP
Well, exactly! I had never given any thought as to how an index was
ise, totally batty and hadn’t had created, despite having used thousands and thousands in my life.
anything From Cold Steel (Littlepublished for , Bryears.own, £20)She Always aim to Everyone assumes the author writes the index, but it’s a specialist skill
came out with all sorts of rubbish write something very
requiring specialist training. An index is like a road map, leading readers
but
Thur
because
sday 7 F
I was
ebruar
so
y
ne
, 12.41pm
w to writ- different and quirky. As a
quickly and effortlessly to what they want to find. Indexers analyse
ing I belie
Brussels Airpor
ved it.’
t
competition judge, I
the text, choose terms and synonyms to represent concepts, and using
If
Back in the r
not published
eal w
latel
orld ther
y do the
e was a
y at

get fed-up of seeing the
main headings and subheadings, as well as ‘see’ and ‘see also’ cross-
least
spring in the step of Lakshmi Mit-
have a good understanding of same themes crop up
references create an index, usually in a specified number of lines or
current publishing trends, and not again and again.
words. So there is also lots of editing required, just as there is in any
the tr
tal as he headed f
ends of 10 or 15 y
or his helicopter
ears ago?
.
No
‘Roland,
w we
ar
kno
e y
w
ou OK f
what some
or a heli-
writ-
kind of writing.
Jo Derrick, editor, The
ers
copter trip to Paris?’ Mittal ask
feel about rules, what advice
ed
Yellow Room magazine.
can
Roland
they giv
V
e
ersta
to
ppen,
new
his ne
writers
wl
baf-
y ap- What did you do before?
ﬂ ed b
pointed dir
y them?
ector of government
I worked for over 10 years in media sales in magazine publishing,
Kate affairs.Long The Belgian who fsays: ‘Some beginnersor twenty time, but I will leave you with his
will yoears had wver-write, orkand ed in the calmer need to learn ﬁ nal rule for good writing:
selling advertising and promotion packages to clients, mainly in the IT
to cut
industry. Indexers come from all walks of life! Now I’m studying in the
conﬁ
back,
nes
but
and
others
silo thinking
will tend
of
to
the

‘Break any of these rules sooner
begin
evenings and at weekends, while my day job is two demanding little
For
b
d Motor Compan
y being too spar
y
e
, no
and
w f
ﬂ
ound
at,

than saying anything outright
and
pre-schoolers....
himself smack in the mid
need to ﬂ esh out their ﬁ ction
dle of
barbarous.’
style
the bitter
. So the
est tak
most
eo
helpful
ver battle in man
rules
y years.
will var
‘Mr Mittal,
y from person
I have ne
to person
ver been in a helicopter
– 2010 COMPS
,’ Verstappen admitted,
What is the training course like?
ther
looking none too sur
e’s no one size ﬁ ts all.
e as the
’
y climbed into Mittal’
Are you running
s French-made black
a writing com-

Hilary Lloyd says: ‘Writing is a petition in 2010? Let me know via
You can proceed at whatever pace suits you, within a 5-year timeframe,
personal
nine-seater Eur
expression,
ocopter
like the
.
inter- the email address at the bottom
using CDROM, textbook and online resources, as well as supporting
pretation
‘What?’ Mittal,
of music or
who had made hundr
painting. And of the
eds of trips,
page and
couldn’
I’ll do
t belie
my best
ve it.
to

materials. There are loads of exercises to help you test yourself, and
like an
V
y
ersta
other
ppen
creativ
shook
e ar
his
t, it
head.
takes
As

the
include
ﬁ ve-bladed
it on
main
my w
rotor
ebsite
began
and
to
in

a brilliant online forum for trainees to pick each others’ (and more
practice
turn, then whir
.’
r into a blur, Verstappen stra
these listings.
pped himself in and calmed
experienced indexers’) brains – that’s one of the best things about
Judy
his ner
Strachan
ves to brief Mittal about the meeting he was due to ha
suggests research-
ve that
indexing – it’s an extremely friendly community. I even went to the
ing afternoon what’s already with out ﬁ fty therFrench e. ‘It’s MPs a in Paris. Verstappen had persuaded annual conference, although I’m still only a trainee, and was welcomed
very Mittal and Lisa Rabbe that hergood idea to study what ise was another g COMPS NOood chance to tackleW OPEN
with open arms.
curr
Fr
entl
ench concerns head on.
y considered convention

and then,
An hour later it was with some r
within your own writ- The Gl
elief that
obal Shor
Verstappen spotted the
t Story Prize

What is the strangest thing you have indexed?
ing,
Eiff
ventur
el To
e
w
outside
er to his right.
that boundar
It couldn’
y
t be
Closing date: last day of
long before they touched
ev
do
ery
wn

with caution.
at Le Bourget.
’
But the aircraft was no
month
w held, waiting for a landing slot.
I was tidying up the toys today, and pondering whether or not to change
Next
It began to cir
month I’ll
cle
be
. Sud
stripping
denly to his left Lakshmi Mittal spotted another
the Story: 2000 words max. Fee: £5.
the tidying system for the children’s model village set. Should I group the
rules apart to ﬁ nd out what they
helicopter. It too was circling. Then he r
Prizes
ealised it was tailing him,
: £100; £5. Web en
and
try

:
little people with the vehicles they drive/fly/ride; or with the buildings
mean for you as a writer. Hopefully www.globalshortstories.net/
they live or work in? I also spent the whole summer indexing my first
we
getting closer
can clear a
.
wa
It was close enough f
y through the
or him to see that somebody inside
attempt at vegetable and flower gardening, wondering whether to index
fog
was holding up a sheet on which was printed what look
together. Meanwhile I’d love to Grace Dieu Writer
ed lik
s Circle
e a r

ow
plants under their Latin or common names, and whether to include ‘see
hear
of n
your
umbers.
views
‘Ma
on
ybe it’
writing
s an off
rules.
er that
Shor
Arcelor will accept,
t Story and Poetry
’ he jok

ed, to
also’ cross-references to garden pests, harvest times or what time of
Do
k
y
eep
ou
V
ﬁ
ersta
nd them
ppen fr
a
om passing out.
help or hin-
The chasing helicopter edged closer
Comps
.
year they flower!
drance?
That’s when Lakshmi Mittal sa
What’s the best writing
w the machine-guns.
Closing date: 28 F

eb 2010
rule you’ve ever heard? And what Story: 2000 words. Poem: 40 lines
was the worst? I’ll share them with
What’s the worst thing about Indexing?
max. Fee: story £5 ﬁ rst, £3 others;
other r
all those
eaders in this column.
we talked to who played
poem
wrote it I had a r
£3 or £10 for
ough idea of
four. Prizes:

Nothing about the work itself – it’s fascinating, intellectually stimulating,
leading r
I realise George
oles in the story in a
Orwell hasn’t £350;
what the helicopter looked like.
£150; £75; £50; £25 in each cat-

had
challenging and very creative – but it’s sometimes difficult to describe to
section called The Players.
anything published for some eg
I’d
ory.
also
Web
ﬂ own
entr
over
y: www
Paris
.gracedieu-
during
people who don’t know what it involves! Even Jeremy Paxman – there
We did not interview the heli-
writerscir
several travels and I had in my
cle.co.uk Postal entry:

was a question on University Challenge about indexing the definite
copter pilot as he did not have a
The
mind wher
Competition
e the Eif
Organiser
fel T
, 23
ower was
Henson

Way, Sharnford, Leics LE10 3PN.
article, which he called ‘a fatuous exercise’ with one of his trademark
leading role, but as we stated that and how the action took place.
derisive snorts, but I could only shout weak insults like “What rubbish
he had left the company after
The Whitta
The book had to go to lawyers
ker Prize 2010

Jeremy! You should know better! Indexing is actually, ah, you know -
this incident, we did check that
Cl
who in turn needed to see the
osing date: 7 Mar 2010

quite obviously - well, like, whatever...” Which was not the stoutest of
he had left the company. I did
St
pr
o
oof.
ry:
As we wer
2500 words
e writing about
x 9 rounds.

defences! You’ll be pleased to know he was contacted by the Society of
not actually go on a helicopter
P
people who ar
oem: 40 lines x
e alive – and very
9 rounds. Fee: £15

Indexers to help him understand it! I’m sure once I’m up and running
ﬂ ight but I did double-check the
per
rich – it is of utmost importance
category (covers all 9 rounds) or

I’ll be able to wax lyrical about indexing if I ever bump into Jeremy in
model and went online to look at £25 that everything is corrto enter both. Prizesect.: £100 in
the street.
relevant sites. I did not want to each category. Rules: The closing
Catherine Lloyd-Evans
overwhelm people with details
date
• For mor
stated
e information visit www
is the date by which
.
If you’d like to find out more contact the Society Of Indexers
of the helicopter but, whilst I coldsteelbook.com ▲ www.indexers.org.uk admin@indexers.org.uk
Continued overleaf
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