The advantage of having such a ‘church year’ diary is that you can plan
well ahead for these special occasions. Warn your minister that you will
need special articles on these subjects. Parish Pump also provides
them each month, as well as notes on the various High and Holy Days.
Finally, keep an eye on local events. Visit your local Tourist Information
office. Include a ‘What’s On’ page in your magazine where these can be
given a mention. Do you have local charities (Marie Curie?) that you
can support once a year? Are there concerts/plays/organised walks
planned?
Planning your magazine – month by month
So there you are- with two maps in front of you.
Your production schedule says what issue has to be done when, and
your diary/calendar makes sure you won’t miss anything.
But – you are still not quite ready to plan an issue. There is one final
matter to be decided: your editorial menu.
Think about any national newspaper or even magazine. Whatever the
day, whatever is happening, when you pick up a newspaper, you know
that the material on offer will follow a certain format.
The front page will have lead stories, and then there will be home news
and foreign news pages. There will be some features, and some
reviews, some TV, etc. The format helps you to know where to find
things.