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John Steinbeck famously kept a diary of his writing process, a practice familiar to many writers, including novelist Sue Grafton and memoirist Louise deSalvo. These diaries, which deSalvo calls “process journals” serve to chronicle only the process of writing, not the rest of life, and often one single writing project at a time. Grafton opened a new one on her computer at the same time as she started a new book, and said they served as an outlet for her creative meanderings and angst.
Indexing work doesn’t obviously correlate, but stick with me.
These journals also serve as a reminder of what each writer’s creative work is like. Grafton often used hers to refer to how she felt at the same stage while writing an earlier book, so she could remind herself what she was going through was normal, and that it would change. Steinbeck used his to hold himself accountable. DeSalvo uses hers to track her goals.
Indexers often do something similar, in that we keep track of the time we spend indexing, and maybe the number of pages per day we need to get through. In Facing the Text, Do Mi Stauber recommends writing a one-paragraph summary of the book after reading the introduction in order to get a handle on the metatopic.
I want to suggest a variation of the process journal as an addition to the hard numbers tracking we’re already used to doing. Not only keeping tabs on the pace of the book and the client details, but on the more touchy-feely aspects of the job. Create a new file for a new project, or if you already do keep some notes, add to them. This is especially useful for new indexers, or for experienced indexers looking to optimize their process.
In mine, I start with my immediate to-do item—usually my daily page quota. Then, after I’ve finished a work session, I log not just how many pages I did and the time, but the difficulty of the work. How did I feel about it? Do I disagree with the author and need a place to rant, so I can make sure the index itself is unbiased? Or the opposite—is there a passage I want to note, because I particularly enjoyed it? What’s my energy level? Finally, I wrap up with a short note of what I need to do during the next session—either the next day, or later in the day if I am taking a break.
Why is this helpful? We freelancers can set our own hours. Keeping track of the time of day and your energy levels can help you figure out when you work best and most efficiently. New indexers can use the process journal to dial in on what type of indexing they do best, and where they can make improvements.
Ask yourself what problems come up often. Do you find the same notes over and over? A process journal can help you identify a solution—maybe you set your initial daily quota too low, or too high. I realized it can often take me 30–40 pages just to figure out what the book is about, and end up starting over. Now, I sit down and read but don’t index that first chunk of pages, and don’t have to throw out a day’s effort.
This sounds like a lot of time, but I spend 10 minutes a day on it, total. It makes a big difference in efficiency when you realize 1–4 pm is a terrible time for you to work, and it takes you twice as long than at other times, or maybe that indexing with music on in the background goes more slowly (or faster).
What do you track from project to project? We’d love to know!
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