An index, while never the glamorous part of any writing project, is essential to the readability and usability of longer non-fiction and technical works. Building one need not be a chore, but it should not be an afterthought either. Here's how to make an index useful to readers without it becoming an unduly large project:-

1. Understand the purpose of an index. An index is an alphabetical listing of key words and concepts in the text. It contains "pointers" to those words and concepts, which are usually page, section, or paragraph numbers. An index generally appears at the end of a document or book. This is distinct from a table of contents, a bibliography, or other supporting materials.

2. Begin with a completed text. If the text is not yet complete, you can still begin the process of building an index as long as the text has most of its final structure.

Thinking of your next holidays?  Times are tough, and it's not so easy nowadays, but how about house swapping?  It's not a permanent arrangement, just a chance to live in someone else's house for a few weeks, while they live in yours.

If you’ve never tried house swapping I can thoroughly  recommend it.  There are a number of clubs you can join, some of them with international membership. We’ve been swapping for about 20 years on and off and have never really had any problems.

As we've seen before, getting your inbound email under control will give you a huge productivity boost, but what about all the emails you send? If you want to be a good email citizen and ensure the kind of results you're looking for, you'll need to craft messages that are concise and easy to deal with.

Make your February 14th extra special this year.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, what better way to celebrate than a romantic getaway?

Romantic Cabins in the Mountains of Oklahoma

Close your eyes and envision you and your sweetheart sitting side by side under a warm quilt while watching shooting stars flash across the night sky. Dream of the sounds of owls hooting in distant trees as you sip bubbly while soaking in your private hot tub overlooking a gently lapping lake.  Imagine the scents: clean mountain air and pines and burning wood from your cabin’s roaring fireplace. You have just had a glimpse of your vacation in one of the many romantic cabins in the Ouachita Mountains of south-eastern Oklahoma.