Editorial Calendar Planning

I’ve been working on my editorial calendar for this blog.  First I wanted to be sure to incorporate my three words — Explore, Become, Serve.

An editorial calendar is defined by Wikipedia as:

Editorial calendars are used to define and control the process of creating content, from idea through writing and publication. An individual or small business might have this publishing process:

1. Brainstorm content ideas to publish, where to publish, and when to publish
2. Write each piece of content based on the publication schedule
3. Edit each piece of content
4. Publish each piece of content

(Wikipedia can be useful, and in this case it suits my purposes to describe how I use an editorial calendar.  If you use it for facts, be careful and fact check.)

So in my process of creation, I look closely at my personal calendar.  What events are happening that I am involved in?  What travel plans do I have?  What is going on with the local Chamber and Tourism Board (who I work for)?  All of these bring creative writing ideas and help to fill my calendar.  

Because I want to travel locally more this year (explore), I’m working on setting up engagements to speak around the state.  How can I write about those events?  Easy enough for me — the writing includes the planning of the event, the traveling to the event and where I’m staying, the story of the town the event is in and of course the event itself.

I’m also working on creating and having better health (become).  What could that add to my editorial calendar?  I can write about products I use (see previous post about Melaleuca products), exercise regimens like Dancing with the Stars dvd I’m using, walking trails, and advice from people I trust.

Finally, I am narrowing my focus on places I’d like to serve.  I’m on the board of the Historical Society.  What have then been up to lately?  I also serve on the Old Stone House Committee.  We are planning many activities for the summer, writing grants for work to be done at the house and taking suggestions.  I’m active in my church.  We’re doing many things with youth, which presents many opportunities to blog.

So my editorial calendar has some definite dates of events on it that I will cover.  It has a listing of ideas for posts that I can work on throughout the year.  It has ideas for questions to ask other bloggers (in a post of course).  And it has room for guest bloggers.  My editorial calendar is an ongoing process and by the end of year is a good representation of how my year went.  

What will your editorial calendar look like?