Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - (Page 42) close | MOONLIGHTING Flex your index muscle A di erent type of freelancing. by Cathy Hester Seckman, RDH A professional indexer for R&C Indexing since 2002, Ms. Seckman is also a writer, speaker, and practicing clinical dental hygienist. I’ve been a hygienist since 1974, but I’ve been a writer since second grade, when I penned my first novel. It was very derivative, and featured a scarecrow and a cowardly lion. I’ve moved on since then (thank goodness) to publish thousands of newspaper articles and more than 100 magazine articles. Five years ago, I also discovered a small specialty niche in the writing world that fits me perfectly. I’m an indexer. The short course, if you aren’t familiar with indexing, is this: Most non-fiction books have an index at the back. The authors don’t normally write them, because it takes specialized knowledge and a special computer program. Publishers used to have in-house indexers, but it’s mostly outsourced now to free-lancers like me. I took the class, bought the program, found some clients, and am happily employed about half-time as an indexer. I’ve done books with topics including health- medicine, terrorism, etiquette, education, political science, literary criticism, veterinary science, fashion design, architecture, Asian politics, and history. On the surface, it seems like an odd combination–hygiene and indexing. But the two professions do have similarities. Hygiene is exacting. A hygienist works in a concentrated fashion, going from one task to the next and melding all the parts of her job into one cohesive treatment. The same thing could be said for indexing. An indexer works her way through the page proofs in a concentrated fashion, holding the developing index in her head, making connections and cross-references as she goes. At the end, she has one cohesive treatment: the index. I thoroughly enjoy my two jobs, hygiene and indexing. Every day, I’m happy to go to work, whether it’s at the dental office or in my den. mh is this for you? Visit the American Society for Indexing at asindexing.org and find out! 42 modernhygienist.com | September 2008 http://www.asindexing.org http://www.modernhygienist.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Modern Hygienist - September 2008 Modern Hygienist - September 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Letters Modern Solutions Access Denied Kids First: Creating Comfort Worn Out? Voice of a VIP Hands-on Hygiene: Magnification In Focus Digital Persuasion That "Other" Female Cancer Ad Index Classifieds Moonlighting Modern Hygienist - September 2008 Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - (Page Cover1) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - (Page Cover2) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Contents (Page 8) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Contents (Page 9) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Editor's Letter (Page 10) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Editor's Letter (Page 10a) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Editor's Letter (Page 10b) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Letters (Page 11) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Letters (Page 12) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Modern Solutions (Page 13) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Modern Solutions (Page 14) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Modern Solutions (Page 15) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Modern Solutions (Page 16) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Modern Solutions (Page 17) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Access Denied (Page 18) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Access Denied (Page 18a) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Access Denied (Page 18b) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Access Denied (Page 19) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Access Denied (Page 20) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Access Denied (Page 21) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Kids First: Creating Comfort (Page 22) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Kids First: Creating Comfort (Page 23) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Worn Out? (Page 24) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Worn Out? (Page 25) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Worn Out? (Page 26) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Worn Out? (Page 27) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Voice of a VIP (Page 28) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Voice of a VIP (Page 29) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Hands-on Hygiene: Magnification In Focus (Page 30) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Hands-on Hygiene: Magnification In Focus (Page 31) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Digital Persuasion (Page 32) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Digital Persuasion (Page 33) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Digital Persuasion (Page 34) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Digital Persuasion (Page 35) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - That "Other" Female Cancer (Page 36) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Ad Index (Page 37) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Classifieds (Page 38) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Classifieds (Page 39) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Classifieds (Page 40) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Classifieds (Page 41) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Moonlighting (Page 42) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Moonlighting (Page Cover3) Modern Hygienist - September 2008 - Moonlighting (Page Cover4)
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