Welcome to Week 2 of Blog Your Heart Out!

I hope last week you ended up with clarity about the what and the how of writing your blog in ways that come straight from your heart and psyche, and also, were able to get something up and out into the world to kindle or rekindle your blogging practice. 

And no matter where you are in this process, I'd like to celebrate coming this far.  We're just over half way through and what's happening in our little tribe is amazing.  People are writing who haven't been writing in months.  Fabulous feedback is occurring to help all of us get to the next level.  Connections are getting made.  So thank you for being a part of a community of mutual support and collaboration. 

Today we're going to talk about the number one thing you can do to sustain your blogging momentum over the long term.  It's the Editorial Calendar, and it can be delicious and juicy in a kinky sort of way.  The kind of discipline and structure that makes you want to go deeper, stay in the process, revel in being told what to do.

And, just like a bit of naughty spanking in your life or anything that involves black leather, it has to be enlivening and truly consensual in order for it to evoke it's true nature and potency.  So, use it when it feels right, when it makes you want to linger in your writer's sanctuary, when it brings you closer to eros -- your life force.

I began using Editorial Calendars long long ago during my journalism days, when I was the editor for my school paper, and have used them since in a variety of contexts as a freelance writer and magazine contributor.  Often, in those contexts, editorial calendars create a sense of cohesiveness for multiple writers and editors, so that everyone is moving towards the same goals at the same time.

But for blogging, the editorial calendar becomes more of a personal manifesto (or a joint manifesto, if you have a partner).  It takes all of those things that you journaled about over the past week -- your vision for your blog, the things that you are most passionate to share about, what you want to be contribute, what you've been thinking about in the deep recesses of your soul aka morning pages -- and begins manifesting them in the real world.  Or at least, the virtual world of the internet. 

The Editorial Calendar, essentially, is blueprint of the temple you are building, and from there, the rest is just pounding nails and painting walls.

Beyond that, Editorial Calendars battle dreaded 'Blank Page Syndrome" in a way that nothing else can.  You don't need to hem and haw about what to write about because you've already decided what to write about.  The map has been drawn. 

Yes, you can choose to go another direction if you're feeling inspired -- I recommend it!  If you have juice for something else than what three weeks or three months ago felt like a good idea, go with that.  Go with what makes your heart sing and your fingers dance on the keyboard.  But, if that's not happening today, it's okay.  Go with Plan A. 

Editorial Calendars keep you accountable.  They keep your focus cohesive and you steadily moving towards your blogging goals.  They can also make your life a lot easier as a blogger, especially when you utilize your blogging software's amazing ability to post something you've already written automatically for you in the future (or for your newsletter to send something out at a scheduled time). 

So, in case you haven't guessed already, today's Mission is:

Create your Editorial Calendar for the Next 3 Months

(This is going to be so much easier than you think... you're going to love it).