I’ve just joined a new social network made for writers. It’s called Mike’s Writer’s Network, and it’s a lot like Facebook. I’m not exactly sure just how everything works at the moment, but I’ve had a blast checking the place out.

First of all, you get your own page to showcase your bio and any websites or blogs you may have. You can even add the RSS feeds from each of your blogs so that all your latest posts can be viewed by anyone who stops by. You can also download your favorite pictures, videos, and even music.

The site also offers a message board designed to discuss all aspects of writing, as well as a chat room for deeper debates. You can also post your own blog posts to be shared with the rest of the network. This could really be a wonderful networking tool for writers.

Though I can’t find any real information about the site itself, from what I can tell, it’s only about a month old. They have a section for favorite groups, but as of right now, there aren’t any groups to join. Plus, many of the members pages I viewed, only showed that they’d been on the site a short time.

The gentleman that has started this social network, is Michael Geffner. Mr. Geffner is a professional journalist who’s work has been in the New York Times, USA Today, and Newsday, just to name a few. He has also won several awards and competitions, including Best Sportswriter in New York City (1990) and Outstanding Column and Feature Writing award from the Associate Press Sports Editors (2005, 2006).

I honestly believe that this site could potentially be one of the best tools for writers. There are a few things that could be better, but I’ve never seen a site come out of the chute in perfect condition. There are always a few bugs that need worked out. But, if want to socialize with other writers, this is the place to do it.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a creative writer? Well, guess what. If you’re running a blog, or writing for sites such as Helium or Associated Content, you ARE a creative writer. Just because you’re not writing poetry or the great American novel, doesn’t mean you’re not a creative writer.

Bloggers are probably some of the most creative writers on the Internet. Think about it, every time you come up with a new post for your blog, you’re being creative. Every time you come up with a new niche site, you’re being creative. Every time you leave a serious comment on another blog, you’re being creative.

Most people think that in order to be deemed a creative writer, you’ve got to write in the fiction genre. That is not true. It takes a lot of thought and time to come up with articles and posts on any topic, and a lot of creativity. Plus, writing your posts in such a way that everyone who stops by your blog can understand, takes some serious creativity.

If you’re writing anything, you are a creative writer. If you’ve put any time and effort into your blog posts, articles, or even in your newsletters, you are a creative writer. As you sit down to put the next post on your blog, really think about the words themselves. You’re words are your tools, and your imagination is what makes them so special.

Now, look in the mirror and repeat after me, “I am a creative writer”. Well done.

Here in the States, we are celebrating Memorial Day weekend. For most people, this is the official kick off to summer, but there really is more to it than that. This is the time to show respect for the men and women who gave their lives in order for the rest of us to live as we do. Of course, this is an American holiday, but every nation around the world has a certain day set aside to honor their warriors, their heroes, the people that gave them hope.

In honor of this holiday, our writing prompts are going to be set around the theme of heroes. I’m proud to say that my grandfather, my father, and even my nephew have fought to keep our country free. Though we were fortunate enough not to have any of them fall in battle, they faced their fears and did what they felt was right.

1.) Write an essay about someone from your family who has served in a branch of the armed forces. What is it about them that makes you proud, makes you cry, and/or makes you laugh.

2.) Write a poem about your hero. This can be a mythological being, an ancestor, or the kid that lives down the block. It doesn’t matter who it’s about, as long as they are your hero.

3.) Are you now, or have you ever, been a member of the armed forces? Are you married to someone who is now serving? If so, tell us what it’s like. Be as detailed as you can.

4.) Choose any warrior from ancient history or mythology and write a story about their life. You can use details from their stories, or make up your own as you go along.

5.) Write a mock interview with any military leader from history. Come up with a list of questions that you’d like to know about, and answer them in a way you think your subject would.

There are your Sunday Seeds for this week. I hope you find some form of inspiration from these prompts, and as always, if you have something published, or post something from one of them, let us know so we can all come by and check it out.

I want to apologize to anyone who tried to venture into my site today.  My site is hosted by a friend of mine, and had to move it to a new server.  Well, when I changed the name of the domain server, I put in the wrong address.  And that is why nobody had access to the site today, including myself.  Some call it a blonde moment, I call it a “grey” day.

So anyway, we’re back up and running on a new server.  This should make it easer to navigate the site, and make loading times much faster.  I’m pretty happy about it.  I did try to leave a post yesterday letting everyone know that I was being moved, but it got lost in move.  Not really that big of a deal, but I had good intentions. 

Again, I am sorry if you tried to access my site at any point in the past 12 hours.  It was totally my fault.  I am not a technical person.  That’s why I have someone else take care of all that for me.  I’m lucky to remember my log-in information from one site to the next.  I could never figure out how to do all that techie stuff. 

Well, it’s almost officially summertime.  That means it’s time for all the fun things that we do over the summer.  My Boy Scouts and I have to go do opening ceremonies for our local Baseball teams.  So, this week’s seeds are going to be based on this wonderful summertime sport.  I enjoy watching professional baseball, but I don’t follow it from day one to the World Series.  Unless of course the Colorado Rockies are in it.  LOL

Anyway, here are your seeds for this week.

1.) Write an article about your favorite Baseball player.  This can be a professional player, someone from the minor leagues, or just your own kid who’s playing for a local Little League team.

2.) Write an essay about you’re days playing baseball.  Doesn’t matter if you played little league, or just had a bunch of kids from the neighborhood out in your back yard.  Tell us all about it.

3.) Do a little research and tell us how the game of baseball began, or who was on the very first baseball card.  Find out something about this sport that not a lot of people know and give us details and resources. 

4.) Write an article about the early days of baseball.  Who were the best players, who should have been noticed more.  Pick any topic and cover it in as much detail as possible.

5.) Discuss the politics of today’s baseball leagues.  Do you think players are making too much money?  Is the industry more hype than they’re worth?  You be the judge and tell us why you believe what you do.

And there you have it.  This week’s Sunday Seeds.  As always, if you publish anything you’ve written from one of our seeds, let us know so we can come by and check it out.  Remember, these are just ideas, and can be used in any way you see fit.  Have fun with them and let your creative side shine through. 

Play Ball!!!