Now that I’ve submitted a final draft for my investigative memoir ‘Because,’ I’m working on an index for it. Although I’ve never had to create an index for a book, I figured I was more qualified than anyone else to make one. After spending a few hours investigating the best ways to do it in MS Word, I’ve learned to use a “Concordance” file that makes the job much easier and efficient, especially for lengthy works. Since my investigative memoir is factually based, I believe readers need a quickly accessible roadmap alphabetically listing names, places, events, and important things such as letters with the associated page numbers for each topic.
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Creating an Index for “Because”
- Post author By James b. Wells
- Post date March 2, 2024
- 2 Comments on Creating an Index for “Because”
By James b. Wells
JAMES B. WELLS is a retired criminology and criminal justice professor in the School of Justice Studies in the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science at Eastern Kentucky University, and is the recipient of the 2025 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences John Howard Award, an award given intermittently, upon significant demand, to recognize an individual who has made significant and sustained contributions to the practice of corrections. A former carpenter, soldier, and correctional officer in a super-maximum-security prison and later as a researcher/planner assisting architects in prison design, he has multiple degrees, including an M.S. in Criminal Justice, a Ph.D. in Research, and an MFA in Creative Writing. He’s authored or co-authored over sixty-five books, chapters, articles, and essays, as well as over a hundred and fifty research reports for various local, state, and federal agencies. Recent essays from his research and memoir work appear or are forthcoming in Collateral Journal, About Place Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Military Experience and the Arts, The Wrath-Bearing Tree, Shift, Proud to be: Writing by American Warriors, Trajectory Journal, and From Pen to Page III: More Writings from the Bluegrass Writers Coalition.
His investigative memoir about his father's still CIA-classified death in Vietnam in 1965, titled Because: A CIA Coverup and a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, will be launched on Father's Day weekend, 2025. Links to publications, presentations, trailers, social media, blog, and other information can be found at https://jamesbwells.com. James enjoys spending much of his leisure time with his spouse on their Lexington, Kentucky farm located on the palisades of the Kentucky River, where he is an organic gardener and beekeeper.
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James B. Wells 
2 replies on “Creating an Index for “Because””
Thanks for keeping us in the loop. There will be a reunion of Vietnam advisors of the sixties and seventies next month (24th-28th) at Fort Moore (Benning), Ga. I must be in Ky that time for my younger son’s departure to Africa. They would probably want to hear your presentation. Can I forward copy of announcement to you if interested?
Bruce Warren Rush, Sr.
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Sure, that would be great! Thanks.
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