Organize your fiction writing with an editorial calendar

One of my goals for 2008 was to become more organized with my blogging. I decided to make an editorial calendar for Brad’s Reader utilizing Google Calendar. The basic idea is that I plan out most of my feature "bread and butter" posts in advance and fill in the gaps with more timely literary news. So far this has worked out great. By seeing all my planned posts for the month laid out in front of me, I have a good idea of what topics I might be talking about too much, and what topics need more attention.

Before I started using an editorial calendar I would pretty much write my posts as the ideas came to me. I spent many evening sitting in front of my computer trying desperately to think of something to write about for that particular day. It was very stressful, to say the least. Now, I know what I’ll be writing about in advance and usually end up writing most posts for the week during the prior weekend.

Using an editorial calendar for fiction

Yes, with a little tweaking, you can use the organizing power of an editorial calendar for writing fiction (actually, you can use it for just about any type of writing). The basic idea is the same: Plan what you are going to write in advance so you get things done in a timely manner.

Let’s pretend you’re starting work on a short story (this will show that this can be used for any type of writing project; large or small). You have already done a rough outline of the story and have a good idea of the different "scenes" your story will entail. You know the names of the characters, setting and all the other helpful information before sitting down to write.

Now it’s time to whip out your editorial calendar. You plan on writing the story in two weeks (or however long you need to write a short story. This varies greatly by author). On your calendar, write a brief scene description on the day you want to complete writing that scene. And if you use a nifty program like Google Calendar, you can add notes to remind yourself what the scene is about, characters in the scene and even brainstorms about dialogue, plot details and the like.

Once that little advanced planning is finished, you now have a "map" for completing your short story. If you follow it diligently, you will have written your rough draft in two weeks with minimum fuss. However, one of the already-built-in features of the editorial calendar is that it’s flexible. If you are ready to write Scene D instead of Scene C, then switch the two around. Remember, the calendar is for your benefit, so it should be tailored to your needs.

What are the benefits of an editorial calendar?

Aside from just being more organized, there are many benefits to the editorial calendar concept. I’ve put together a short-list of what I think are the most important benefits:

• Improve productivity: With the planning done in advance, you’ll spend more time writing and less time fretting about what you’re going to write next (ie. how is the story going to end?).
• Avoid writer’s block: Much like the benefit stated above, you can plan out your writing when the idea is still fresh in you mind and you’re overflowing with creativity. Then, a week later when the idea has lost that "fresh"factor, you’ll still be guided by your calendar.
• Changes can be made easily: You’ll see the big picture in advance and adjust things accordingly.
• Juggle multiple projects: If you’re the type that likes to have multiple writing projects going on at once, then the editorial calendar is for you. Keep the projects separate, but use the same calendar so all you’re writing deadlines can be seen at-a-glance!
• Meet all your deadlines: Whether you’re writing an article for a magazine, a blog post or a work of fiction for publication, keeping an editorial calendar can help you meet whatever deadline you have. You can space the project out to
  allow you to recharge your creative juices.

I realize that some writers work best by sitting down at their computer and just start hammering away with little or no advanced planning. I’m not one of them. This is by no means the only or even the best way to manage your writing projects. Everyone is different. This is merely one tool I’ve discovered works good for me, and I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

What works best for an editorial calendar?

I mentioned that I use the calendar feature on Google for my own editorial calendar. But there are numerous calendar programs out there. Some of them are web-based (like Google) and some are downloaded directly onto your computer (like Microsoft Outlook’s calendar). Heck, you can even print out a generic calendar and use a paper copy if that is what works best for you. However, making changes might be a little tougher and you might end up with a very messy calendar by the end of the month. That’s why I prefer digital – changes are easy to make and I don’t have to worry about losing it. Actually, I print out the upcoming month and pencil in my blog posts during the planning stages, and then copy it to my Google calendar.

How do you organize your writing? Do you utilize an editorial calendar (or something similar)? Or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of writer that just sits down and starts writing? Leave a comment and share your secret to being organized. Don’t be shy.

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