​What Time?
 
                Well good question. Most people post when they want or when it’s convenient for them. In reality, they could be losing out on a lot of potential viewers. Every form of social media tends to have a ‘rush hour’ and also, mostly due to refresh rate, require a certain number of posts to really make sure you are noticed.
 
Best Times To Post
 
Pinterest: 7:00PM – 12:00AM
 
Facebook: 1:00PM – 4:00PM
 
Instagram: 5:00-6:00PM
 
Twitter: 12:00PM – 3:00PM
 
 
 
Worst Times To Post
 
Pinterest: 1:00-7:00 AM & 5:00-7:00PM
 
Facebook: 10:00PM-4:00AM
 
Instagram: 11:00PM-7:00AM
 
Twitter: 8:00PM-8:00AM
 
 
 
 
 
How Often Should I Post
 
Pinterest: 20-25 times a day
 
Facebook: 2-5 times a day
 
Instagram: 1-3 times a day
 
Twitter: 1-3 times a day
 
 
 
What Should I Post
 
 
 
Sunday: Focus on humor with Sunday Memes. If you’re religious offer some blessings or scripture quotes. Also try information on how to get ready for the work week.
 
Monday: Monday’s are rough so focus on motivation. Update your products and give people sometime to look forward too.
 
Tuesday: Engage your audience. Give out samples of your product. Make a poll.
 
Wednesday: Give back to your audience. Start a contest. Update you blog posts. Offer some Wednesday wisdom.
 
Thursday: Post some business promos. Post a selfie with your product. Launch a new promotion or remind your audience of one already going on.
 
Friday: Focus on fun day Friday. Post a picture of a family activity. Share a Friday meme. Add a new post to your blog.
 
Saturday: Let your audience get to know you. Post a Saturday selfie. Share a special offer for your business. Tell your audience why you do what you do.
 
 
 
What About Hashtags
 
 
 
Monday:
 
#Monday #MondayFunday #MondayMotivation #MotivationalMonday #MondayMorning #MondaySelfie
 
Tuesday:
 
#Tuesday #TipTuesday #TuneTuesday
 
Wednesday:
 
#Wednesdays #WisdomeWednesday #WellnessWednesday #HumpDay
 
Thursday:
 
#Thursdays #ThirstyThursday #CoffeeThuesday #ThursdayThoughts
 
Friday:
 
#Friday #FridayNight #FinallyFriday #FollowFriday
 
Saturday:
 
#Saturday #SocialSaturday #Caturday #SaturdaySwag
 
Sunday:
 
#Sunday #SelfieSunday #SelflessSunday #SundayBrunch #SundaySchool

Making a character is difficult, but with this handy chart you can work out small facts you never knew about your character. This can help flesh out a confusing character, or just get to know one better. 

Download Here

​Character Chart Part One: First impressions
 
NAME:
 
NICKNAME:
 
AGE:              HEIGHT:              WEIGHT:            BIRTH DATE:
 
HAIR COLOR and Style:
 
 
EYE COLOR:
 
Describe physical characteristics, body type, etc.:
Specific markingS, tattoo, scar, birthmarks:  
 
 
Greatest physical flaw:
 
 
STYLE OF DRESS:
 
 
One piece of clothing he/she would never be without:
 
 
ETHNICITY:
 
SPEECH PATTERNS/ACCENT:
 
 
EDUCATION:                                                        RELIGION:              
 
PROFESSION:
 
What does he/she think of this profession:
 
MARITAL STATUS:
Character Chart Part Two: A brief look
 
Name of father:                                            Important details:
 
Name of mother:                                          Important details:
 
ATTITUDES TOWARD PARENTS:
 
Brothers:                                                       Important details:
 
Sisters:                                                          Important details:
 
ATTITUDES TOWARD siblings:
 
Pets:
Favorite place, hangout, peaceful spot:
Description: 
 
HOBBIES:
 
IS HOME A HAPPY PLACE FOR CHARACTER TO BE? WHY?:
 
DESCRIBE CHARACTER’S PHYSICAL HOME. DRAW OUT A FLOORPLAN IF IT HELPS:

Character Chart part three: A closer look
 
FAVORITE STYLE OF MUSIC:
 
FAVORITE FOOD:
 
Favorite pasttime, book, TV show, movie, etc:
 
Most precious possession:
 
BEST FRIEND, detail, description:
 
 
 
Person he/she would call for help. Why?:
 
 
 
ENEMIES? WHY?:
 
 

Character chart part four: keeping it straight
 
BEST ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE THIS CHARACTER:
DESCRIBED BY OTHERS AS:
CHARACTER TRAITS, STRONG OR WEAK:
 
BIGGEST emotional flaw:
 
SUPERSTITIONS:
 
GIFTS CHARACTER POSSESSES:
 
FEARS:
 
WHAT DOES YOUR CHARACTER DO, HOW DOES HE/SHE BEHAVE WHEN he/SHE IS-
 
EXCITED:
FURIOUS:
ANXIOUS/NERVOUS:
TERRIFIED:
CAUGHT DOING SOMETHING WRONG:
Overwhelmed:
Heartbroken:

Character Chart Part Five: Into the mind
 
OPINION OF SELF:
 
MOST FRIGHTENING CHILDHOOD MEMORY:
 
MOST EMBARASSING CHILDHOOD MEMORY:
 
MOST JOYFUL CHILDHOOD MEMORY:
 
An embarrassing SECRET:
 
Darkest secret:
 
Biggest regret:
 
Most powerful dream:
 
Goal in life:
 

Character Chart Part Six: Into the Heart
 
What characteristics do they look for in a spouse:
 
Name of Romantic interest, fiancée, spouse:
 
Description:
 
 
How do these characters interact:
 
 
A key detail about their relationship:
 
What would be an ideal date:
 
 
What would cause your character the most heartache? Why?:
 
 
 

Character Chart Part Seven: Into the soul
 
What is one thing youR character would never do:
 
 
In a life or death situation would your character fight, fly, or freeze? Why?:
 
 
 
Who is the one person your character feels they couldn’t live without:
 
 
 
GREATEST WANT OR DESIRE:
 
 
 
 
PiCTure a sCenario where your character is in peril. What do they do:
 

If you’ve been on social media lately you’ve seen them. The ‘what is your ____’ birthday games. They offer variation that’s customized to you. It makes it both a fun game and personal. These gained popularity in the same way daily astrology readings did. It’s the desire to know what you personally are like, according to that chart.

It may seem like a fun social media game, but it has many benefits for authors. These prompts are great for random inspiration, producing numerous outcomes. Also a plus is the variation. You see anything from personality type games to what’s your dragon name, making them versatile to any type of writer.
​
We at NeoLeaf Press decided to have some fun as well and created a few games of our own! Below are 9 great games. But there will be more! Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/neoleafpress or on our website www.neoleafpress.com. 

​In the world of competitive online marketing it’s no longer enough just to pick a 'nice' color. 'It's pretty' or 'It fits the theme' isn't enough to make your marketing stand out in the online ocean. Here are a few tips to help you pick the right color for your next marketing project.
 
Red:
Red means STOP right? In a way yes. Red stands out and makes a person stop and look. You'll see this color used often in clearance aisles at stores. It is also the color used in heart health campaigns and romance marketing. Why does this help? Using colors people already have a preconceived notion of allows you to better capture the correct audience. Red is a good eye catcher. Use it when advertising sales, marketing things involving health and medical, and with romance-related things like 'date nights' or Valentine’s marketing.
 
Blue:
Blue is for boys, right? Well as stereotypical as it is, most men are more attracted to this color. It's also associated with law enforcement and EMS. Why does this help? In marketing towards certain audiences, you need to know what is most eye catching. When targeting a male audience blue is a more appealing color. Blue is also associated with water and good for advertising things like 'pool night' or 'lakeside camping'.
 
Green:
Green, the color of money. It's not the top eye-catching color unless paired with a big dollar sign or a lot of environmental imagery, but it can convey a very strong message. You see this color used a lot on environmentally friendly things. This is a good color to use when promoting things such as 'trash pick ups' or '10 ways to save money’ but is also a color to stay away from if you are trying to market a completely different event.
 
Purple:
Throughout history, purple has been a color associated with royalty. This is because in old times, purple dye was harder to come by and was often only affordable to royals. This is important, because this color conveys a sense of class and sophistication. You most often see it used in high-end makeup marketing every day and don't notice it. This color is great to use for a classy event, but not good for events like BBQs and park outings.
 
Orange and Yellow:
As eye popping and catching as they are, be warned that this is also the color of caution signs. These colors should be used as accents, because overwhelming amounts of these can create a sense of anxiety.
 
Black:
‘Black tie event’ is what first comes to mind, and is what many people associate with black. It's clean and professional. Sharp. Easily seen. But be warned, it should not be over used. A little black goes a long way, and people can also get tired of seeing one black-based image after another. Also remember, it's dark and hard to see in certain light. If you're designing a flyer or poster, a little black will be enough.
 
Gray:
Gray is a hard color to use because most people will associate it with an old gray man or a gray rainy day. In moderation it can be seen as a symbol of something timeless, or valuable like silver. This is the reason most gray and white flyers are overlooked. Use gray for accents, and pair it with a complimentary color that helps you convey a better message.
 
White:
This color is associated with purity, cleanliness, and grace. Things like clouds and angels are often depicted with white. White is a blank slate and allows other colors, even black, to stand out and be intensified. Use this for events such as 'church outings' or pair it with other colors such as black to add sophistication. Remember black, white, and gray are the least eye catching colors. If making a flyer or social media post, consider pairing it with a color that fits your theme such as red or blue.
 
Brown:
When you ask a child what is brown, you frequently may hear wood. This is because this is the most prevalent brown things we see every day. Brown is an earthy color which allows it to pair well with colors such as green and blue. Brown is also used in many logos as it stands out yet is neutral enough to not scream in your face.

​Mom’s Favorite reads has achieved something very special. They’ve produced a #1 selling magazine. March’s magazine is coming soon with many new articles, but there is still time to catch up on previous magazines. They’ve went out of their way to help authors promote and get out there to many people.
 
So, what all does this magazine have? Well let’s show you some things from February.
 
Read The Wireless Murder by Hannah Howe, the true story of Dr Crippen, FREE in Mom’s Favorite Reads, the international bestselling magazine.

​“On 13 July 1910, Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard called at 39 Hilldrop Crescent where, in the cellar, he found the remains of Cora Crippen. Married to Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen (pictured), a doctor of homeopathic medicines, Cora had been poisoned with hyoscine, the only time hyoscine has been used to commit murder.”

​Love Hurts, so Why Would Anyone Read Romance? A fascinating insight into our reading habits by Val Tobin

​Cross-cultural love, the heart of a happy relationship by Grant Leishman.

​Any many more articles you’ll love. This is just the top of the iceberg. Mom’s Favorite Reads also has an online Amazon store made specially to promote the authors who contribute to the magazine. These are not just any authors. These are 5 star authors with wonderful books. 

​If you want to see some of these great read you can click HERE

How can it get better? You can read this magazine FREE! 

Read it HERE

Or copy this ink
https://issuu.com/momsfavoritereads/docs/vol-2_iss-2_feb2019_momsfavoriterea?e=35132865/67744407&fbclid=IwAR2aCPNJI44t23t-aLfpggRYZa_tmcQHem3fiEqohe35TujxdI3TqWPl6DI

Resource Review: A Guide to Info Product Creation
Are you looking for an alternative outlet for your writing, or a different way to “write every day”, as many of the experts recommend? Want to earn some extra money, or just try out a different writing style from your WIP?
How about creating (and even selling) info products?
Melyssa Griffin, former expat English teacher in Japan, successful blogger, podcaster, and multiple-year six-figure earner teaching “entrepreneurs and bloggers how to grow their audience and skyrocket their income”, shows how you can learn to create info products in her free, 4-part, “#InfoProductBiz” series, which you can find online at https://www.melyssagriffin.com/create-prepare-info-product/ .

So, what’s an info product? In part one of her series, linked to above, Melyssa gives us her definition: “An info product is any type of product you create that teaches people how to do something that you already know.” Melyssa then gives some examples, such as ebooks, physical books, e-courses and workbooks, video and audio series, webinars, and even membership sites and their content.

Then the very first lesson she teaches us is a vital one: to begin your info product’s creation, “decide who you want to help”. As she explains, you might be inclined to create your first info product “backwards, by focusing on what [you] want to do or create,” instead of getting to know your potential audience first. She uses writing a healthy eating ebook as an example, warning us that you might want to “cram whatever healthy recipes you can think of” into the book if you haven’t gotten to know your audience first.
What’s the alternative? Do a bit of research to learn more specifically what information people are looking for, and target that topic niche; maybe your potential audiences might be “busy, working parents who don’t want to sacrifice nutrition for convenience,” or “college students who sometimes pay $0.12 for Top Ramen and call it dinner”. Melyssa suggests something more targeted, like “Quick Paleo Meals for Your Family” for the parents, and “Healthy Meals for Cheap College Students” for, well, you-know-who. Because these titles “speak directly to a specific type of person and their lifestyle,” as she puts it, they more directly target “the type of person you’d most like to help”. Of course, this is just the first lesson of the first part of her course, so she cautions us to not “worry about creating your product idea just yet”. How to do that comes in as the course progresses.

And, boy, does her course progress! In just the rest of this first part of the course, titled “How To Create And Prepare Your First Info Product (#InfoProductBiz Series)”, Melyssa shows us how to brainstorm our topic by surveying our audience (and what to do if we don’t already have an audience to survey; hints: Facebook and Twitter); and how to decide what format(s) your info product should be in, so that you produce a product “which would work best for your audience and topic”, based on such factors as meeting the appropriate price point, ease of learning the topic (think about it; “write what you know” doesn't have to be limited to just what you know now), and even which format(s) you are best able to produce. She then goes on to show us how to plan creating your info product, how to build an email list of your target audience and what tools to use to do so, and even how to “create a lead magnet that attracts your ideal customer.” (A “lead magnet” is a short but informative freebie related to your main info product, that you give away to folks who join your email list.)

Lesson 2 is titled “How To Prime And Grow Your Audience For Your First Info Product” and leads you through using and building your email list, guest posting on blogs and using social media to engage with your audience, and effectively promoting your “lead magnet” to get signups for your list. The next lesson, “How To Create A Killer Sales Page And Price For Your First Info Product”, discusses what you need to include on your product's sales page both content-wise, and what tech tools you should consider using on your page; what factors to consider in pricing your info product, and provides sound real-world guidelines and pricing suggestions to help.
Finally, “How to Launch and Market Your First Info Product,” the last lesson, covers just that :the all - important launch! Melyssa starts this final lesson laying out 7 ways to market your product, including webinars, email promotions, Twitter chats, and even pinning on Pinterest! Then she moves on to good advice on how to structure your launch : should you pre - sell, do just a standard launch, an evergreen launch, or some combination of all? (she clearly explains these terms as she goes).

If creating, marketing, and selling your own info products is anything you'd like to learn more about, I strongly recommend Melyssa griffin‘s free 0# info product biz course. Take the course at https://www.melyssagriffin.com/create-prepare-info-product, and check out her full site, https://www.melyssagriffin.com, or listen to episodes of her inspiring PURSUIT WITH PURPOSE podcast, at https://www.melyssagriffin.com/topics/podcast/.
 
Don’t worry if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Like any new endeavor, learning to create, market and sell your own info products can involve a substantial investment in time and effort. But if it’s something you might be interested in, the investment could be worth it. And if only the writing part interests you, NeoLeaf Press will be able to help with that. We're planning our own Info Product Sales and Marketing Toolkit package, scheduled for launch soon; stay tuned! 

​Challenge
Write the first 2 paragraphs where the only character is a car driving down a road (work on atmosphere, setting). Add a sense of peril or other interest.
 
During Thursday 1/17/2019 Marion County Writer’s Workshop session we discussed the above challenge. What we learned was vast as the topic drove to many different locations.
 
Here were a few key sentences by MCWW authors:
A road map marked with a red circle.
Flashes of lightning illuminating skinny trees in the distance. 
Gloomy shadows stretched over the hood of the car.
It was once the envy of the fleet. Long and sleek, its smooth black surface buffed to a high sheen. It bore the emblem of its maker, Cadillac.
Gravel crunched under the tires.
The engine wailed.
Wind whistled through the window, broken and stuck open.
Light reflected off the broken windshield, making the cracks look like spider webs.
 
So what things can help you write to the above challenge?
 
First, cars can make different noises, but for this challenge we’re going to focus on bad ones.
 
Car sounds:

1. Sounds when turning the tires like “thump thump thump” or loud grinding and/or screeching
2. Clunking when breaking
3. A flapping sound
4. Grinding with a manual transmission
5. Knocking from the engine
6. Hissing or sizzling under the hood
7. Loud bang
8. Low pitch humming coming from under the car
9. Popping from the engine
10. Rattling from beneath the car
11. Roaring sound that increases with acceleration
12. Squealing or chirping when accelerating
13. Squealing wheels when applying brakes
14. Scraping or grinding when applying brakes
15. Tapping or clicking from engine
16. Whiling of any kind

 
Phew, this is a lot, and a nice list of things that can make a mechanic sweat.
Road sounds are also great to add to atmosphere, but did you know different types of roads make different sounds?
Here’s a quick guide:
 
Road Sounds:
 
Concrete Roads
            Concrete surfaces are made using a concrete mix of Portland cement, coarse aggregate, sand and water. One of the major advantages of concrete pavements is they are typically stronger and more durable than asphalt roadways. They also can be grooved to provide a durable skid-resistant surface. The road noise of a car traveling 60 MPH is usually around 80 decibels, but it can range between 55 and 80 decibels along a highway. To put this in perspective a quiet living room is usually around 40 decibels, and a loud shout is around 90 decibels.
Road noise also varies according to road condition. A road with more pot holes and cracks will produce a higher decibel of noise.
 
Asphalt Roads
Open-graded asphalt mixtures are designed to be water-permeable to help remove standing water from the road. Open-graded asphalt mixes can incorporate polymer-modified binders and/or fibers which add durability over a long time. They help to remove standing water from the road surface by allowing it to flow through the mix to the outer edges of the roadway. An added benefit of this porous design is good sound absorption. This is due to the compressed air from the tire being able to escape down through the mixture. The bottom layer contains larger aggregate while the top layer is a finer mix. This finer mix has less macrotexture, reducing contact forces which in turn reduces noise. Noise reduction with these mixes has been measured at the decibel range. Most of the time this application is used for higher traffic suburban roads with road speeds above 45 miles per hour.
 
Dense-graded asphalt mixtures
Reducing the aggregate size in the wearing surface will generally result in a quieter surface. These mixes sometimes include crumb rubber and/or a polymer binder. This type of mixture gets its sound dampening qualities by having a reduced contact area as well as an increase in flexibility allowing for air to escape at a lower pressure. It has been noted that these types of mixes can reduce road noise by as much as 8 decibels.
 
Fine-graded surface mixtures
Examples of these types of mixtures or surface treatments are microsurfacing and ultra-thin bonded asphalt surfaces. They can act as road preservation techniques and help reduce noise. These thin-surfaced, gap-graded mixes have less macrotexture which reduces contact areas between the tire and the road creating less noise. Reductions can be seen in the range of 2-5 decibels.
 
Gravel
Applying gravel, or "metalling", has had two distinct usages in road surfacing. The term road metal refers to the broken stone or cinders used in the construction or repair of roads or railways, and is derived from the Latin metallum, which means both "mine" and "quarry". "Road metal" later became the name of stone chippings mixed with tar to form the road surfacing material tarmac. A road of such material is called a "metalled road" in Britain, a "paved road" in Canada and the US, or a "sealed road" in parts of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
A granular surface can be used with a traffic volume where the annual average daily traffic is 1,200 vehicles per day or less. The noise level produced by a car on a gravel road is higher by 4 decibels than that on a road with asphalt pavement. In summertime, as car speed increases, the noise level rises by 5 decibels.
 
Level B Roads
These roads are minimally maintained roads for areas of low traffic that do not serve a residence or do not require frequent access. These roads have the biggest ranges of decibel of road noise due to their condition and varying traffic speed. No research has been done on the estimated decibels of road noise. These roads offer the most variation on road noises such as crashes through potholes, grinding on the ridges of ruts, and snaps and crashes over sticks and rocks.
 
 
Another part of adding a sense of peril is the things seen from cars. Since the focus of this challenge was peril, I chose to add a few things you’d see specifically see and smell at night.
 
Visuals:
Things seen with headlights.
Glowing eyes in darkness.
The reflectiveness of a sign.
Passing trees close to the road can make a woosh woosh.
Animals may dart by, but they will only seem to be a color and size. A raccoon, fat cat, and small dog can all look the same when you pass by them in the dark.
Rain makes things blurry.
Snow makes things brighter.
A full moon casts long shadows, but things are more defined.
The reflection of headlights on power lines making the look of little silver ropes.
 
 
Smells:
Burnt rubber
Exhaust fumes
Skunk
Earth
Stale and dusty from the air vents
Hot and dusty from the heat vents
 
 
The last thing discussed when adding a sense of peril was sentence length. This can help put your reader in the correct mood.
 
Sentence Length:
Multiple Long Sentences
Multiple long sentences make the story feel drawn out and slow. Imagine a professor giving a boring lecture with one tone of voice. This can be used sparingly to create a slow feel in your story, but too much can make the reader feel they are treading through deep mud.
 
Multiple Short Sentences
Multiple short sentences give the story a quick feel. This builds action and gives the feeling of movement. Using multiple short sentences in a row can make the reader feel exhausted. Imagine someone who talks really fast and never comes up for air.
 
Short Sentences with Fragments
Short sentences with sentence fragments add the above description with the feeling of chaos if done too much. This can be a good tool when trying to make the reader feel overwhelmed or confused.
 
A Combination of the Above
A combination of the all of the above is the most used format. This gives variation creating a natural flow. You can break in using long sentences to slow down the action and then fast ones to speed it up again. This technique is great in manipulating your reader into getting a sense of speed or slowness where needed without having to specifically things like ‘it slowed down’ or ‘it sped up’.
 

​
It’s come again. The holidays. With it came food, sweets, food, and more sweets. If you’re like most authors during the holidays you indulged. Now it’s a new year and time again to renew all those exercise and weight loss promises. But don’t forget to take down the decorations. Get that January blog ready to go. Oh, and don’t forget about starting on all your projects to hit due dates in time. .
A little overwhelming? Being an author, I find myself in this trap a lot. As an author you are never “caught up”, or “ahead of the game”. This leads to a lot of stress. Exercise tends to get pushed to the back burner, so we can fight the inevitable feeling of always being behind.

Well that can change. Here is an easy program for any author to help get back in shape and keep hitting deadlines.
 

 

1. Fit a Genre
   • Mystery? Romance? Books written on the edge of two genres tend to fall between the cracks. Pick a genre and stick with it.
2. Think Bigger
   1. High drama. High plot. High concept idea. Know your extreme. You can always mellow it as your write.
3. Love your Lead
   1. Make a character your reader will identify with and love. Make them real with real flaws and real things to overcome that is relatable.
4. Hate your Villain
   1. Make them real. Make them an opponent that fits and will push your main character to overcome their flaws and/or achieve their goals.
5. Target Length
   1. Find the right word count for your genre and hit it.
6. Get Complicated
   1. Throw a wrench into your main characters plan. Add subplot. Add depth.
7. Surprises
   1. Have at least three surprises for your reader. Don’t just leave one grand on for the very end.
8. Best for Last
   1. Resolve your minor subplots first, your most important subplots towards the end, and save the main plot for last.
9. Point of View
   1. Stay in a viewpoint that best fits your character or genre. Don’t get creative. Readers know what they like.
10. Lights, Camera, Action
    1. Live in the action light. Push your story along as if there is a director always screaming over your shoulder. Don’t get boring.