Freelance Writer - Nick White Writing

Today I’m setting up my freelance writing business. So this is the launch of Nick White Writing. What has largely been a hobby should, from here on, be a comprehensive writing service.

Back in the noughties I was a freelance journalist for a while so I have an idea of what to expect. I also have the professional training, experience and qualifications. I retrained recently to update my skills for online work.

My specialties are going to be the things I have in-depth knowledge about, which are:

•          Spirituality, faith and Christianity
•          Writing itself (most fields/genres)
•           Mental health
•           eBook publishing

Along with these subjects I also have good knowledge of computing (including retro gaming), folk-lore, poetry, guinea pigs, cats, politics, current affairs, revivals/awakenings, psychology, eschatology (end-times) and musicals (especially Sondheim). I’m not sure there is currently much of a market for eschatology, Sondheim and revivals/awakenings – but someone has got to know about these things!

I’m also planning to expand my knowledge-base with further research.

So, if you, or anyone you know needs any copywriting, proof-reading or editing done for websites, books, newsletters or anything else then please consider using my skills. I can also help with eBook publishing if you are writing a book.

More information on my website soon (www.nickwhitewriting.com).

Watch this space.

Alternative Easter message: From deep inside the Tomb - thoughts on Christianity in the UK

Today former Archbishop George Carey has said that two thirds of Chistians feel like a persecuted minority (if only my 'killer question' hadn't been stifled at the local BBC election debate!).

The whole subject of Christian freedom in the UK is a minefield. It is impossible to say anything without offending someone or other even if you say the most anodyne, placatory things. Believers who say they have lost jobs and job opportunities because of discrimination regularly suffer character assassination.

There is so much disagreement on the subject of believers freedoms in the UK even among Christians. Many  currently disagree with George Carey. When this subject gets into the news there are always a range of responses from within the Christian community. Culturally, Christians want to be Christ-like and unselfish so many will point to groups who are suffering to a greater extent - for example the poor, for example, needy people in other countries, for example, asylum seekers etc. This is a unique phenomenon particular to faith communities, a kind of tribal characteristic.

There are other Christians who don't want to rock the boat. So they will say that nothing is wrong because they are afraid that things will get worse. Fear is a powerful motivator (but kind of understandable when you take into account the history of Christian persecution and the existing persecution in other countries).

On top of this, aggressive secularists will always state that believers are complaining and whinging (the inference being that we are spoilt children). They say that Christianity gets preferential treatment as evidenced by the presence of bishops in the House of Lords and BBC (British Biased Corporation) treatment of Christianity.

Now the whole subject is getting linked to the gay marriage debate. It has to be said that there are many Christians who are not against gay marriage. There is a powerful argument for it - not least the call to love others. I am for gay marriage but understand that there is a reasonable argument against it. But the problem with Christians 'winning' the gay marriage debate is that we don't win at all. All that would happen would be that Christians get the blame for infringing on other people's freedoms. The only way to win that battle is to lose it. That way Christians can complain about the whole thing when it becomes law. And we don't get the blame.

We are not persecuted but there are huge biases against Christians in the UK, biases which are often encouraged by those in powerful positions.

What the country needs to make things better is a Christian revival. Please remember I said so at the time.

(Publish and be damned).

Castle

I just really like this picture...

A message to my loyal readers

This blog post is about your future. And it contains an apology to you.

When I trained as a journalist my tutor would often tell me to re-write my news introductions.

"You need to give your intros more of a hook," He would say.

My intros were always boring. They were boring partly because I didn't want to defraud readers. Because I couldn't easily turn water into wine. I didn't want to write stories which didn't deliver.

First impressions count, not just in the world of business but also in the world of writing. Both in journalism and in creative writing. Especially when it comes to writing for the internet.

So why is this blog post about your future?

It's about your future because, as a reader it will help you to understand the tricks of the writing trade and to think about the attitudes of writers.

What counts, in writing, is how much the writer cares about you. Can you trust them? If the writer cares about you at all then they will learn the skills necessary to engage.

A sign that a writer couldn't care whether you live or die is that their writing will either be bad or full of bull. It will insult your intelligence. The attitude of the writer is what counts. If the writer just wants your money, if the writer is only interested in brinkmanship then sometimes it will show. A sure sign is that the writer is unwilling to learn.

Read what you need to read to survive and hopefully to thrive.

There is so much information and half of it comes from people with an attitude to their readers which is downright offensive. If the people who write what you read don't care about your well-being then refuse to read them. They will get the message.

I'm sorry for not caring as much as I could about you.

The Hollow Statue and Stranded in Eternity

I wanted to write a blog entry about how I came up with the ideas for my latest published short stories.

The Hollow Statue was written as a first draft a long time ago.

I wondered at that time what a society would look like in which everyone had that same blind faith in the authorities. Then I combined this with some apocalyptic themes.

What emerged was not particularly beautiful, but it was honest about my feelings at the time. If I wrote it again I would try to balance the darkness with more light.

The other story, Stranded in Eternity was written over a long period and after many drafts. It began at a writers workshop where everyone was given a first line to use to write a story. My first line was 'He revived with a smile on his face'.

A little while later I went to church and heard a sermon about how indescribable heaven will be. That it would be beyond imagination. So I thought I would try to imagine a version of heaven, beyond the idea of fluffy clouds. I also introduced a few other themes which interested me. And most importantly I selected a Christian as the hero - I did this on purpose because there are so few positive portrayals of Christians.

There was a lot more to the writing of both stories, but this was how they came to be written in the first place. They are written only for readers to enjoy and have no hidden message.

Both stories are available in the science fiction anthology Otherwhere and Elsewhen.

Cross cases: European Court of Human Rights judgement on Nadia Eweida and Shirley Chaplin Jan 15

Christians lose and win their protests at the European Court of Human Rights. 

British Airways employee Nadia Eweida has won her fight at the European Court of Human Rights. But nurse Shirley Chaplin has lost her protest.

Nadia Eweida and Shirley Chaplin were disciplined by British Airways and the NHS respectively for wearing crosses at work.

This is from the press release from the European Court released on Tuesday January 15:


Right to manifest religion at work is protected but must be balanced against rights of others.

In today’s Chamber judgment in the case of Eweida and Others v. the United Kingdom the
European Court of Human Rights held:

by five votes to two, that there had been a violation of Article 9 (freedom of religion) of
the European Convention on Human Rights as concerned Ms Eweida;

unanimously, that there had been no violation of Article 9 of the European Convention,
taken alone or in conjunction with Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination), as
concerned Ms Chaplin

Ms Eweida, a British Airways employee, and Ms Chaplin, a geriatrics nurse, complained that their employers placed restrictions on their visibly wearing Christian crosses around their necks while at work.

The Court did not consider that the lack of explicit protection in UK law to regulate the
wearing of religious clothing and symbols in the workplace in itself meant that the right
to manifest religion was breached, since the issues could be and were considered by the
domestic courts in the context of discrimination claims brought by the applicants.

In Ms Eweida’s case, the Court held that on one side of the scales was Ms Eweida’s
desire to manifest her religious belief. On the other side of the scales was the employer’s
wish to project a certain corporate image. While this aim was undoubtedly legitimate,
the domestic courts accorded it too much weight.

As regards Ms Chaplin, the importance for her to be allowed to bear witness to her
Christian faith by wearing her cross visibly at work weighed heavily in the balance.
However, the reason for asking her to remove the cross, namely the protection of health
and safety on a hospital ward, was inherently more important than that which applied in
respect of Ms Eweida and the hospital managers were well placed to make decisions
about clinical safety.




See my blog entry 'Show 'em Your Cross' for comment on this.

Also see eChurch blog for more comment.

Otherwhere and Elsewhen

Otherwhere and Elsewhen cover

Two of my new short stories have been published by Bridge House. The first is called The Hollow Statue. It is set in a dark future where the Government keeps people firmly under their control. It is a Government who can read minds – free thought is illegal and swiftly punished. The protagonist of the story is a teacher who asks one too many questions. The hollow statue of the title is a technologically advanced statue which has been set up outside an old town hall. Everybody has to assemble before these statues (one in each town) and listen to propaganda. The hero is a rebel, but can he really change anything in the face of such power?

The second story is titled Stranded in Eternity. It began life over ten years ago at a festival when I attended a creative writing workshop. Each of us were given a first line to use as the introduction of a story. Someone gave me this line: “He revived with a smile on his face.” So from there, after many edits the story grew and eventually became a tale about a man who crashes his car on the way home from church and wakes up in heaven. He has to adjust to his new surroundings and encounters a number of surprises. It is my attempt at imagining what heaven could look like. The story contains elements of beauty which I would like to characterize my future writing. It also explores some of the bigger questions in life and isn’t a narrative with a moral message. It is simply a story.

Otherwhere and Elsewhen is available from Amazon through the following link:

Otherwhere and Elsewhen – Amazon

The book costs £3.85p as an eBook.

There are 11 other sci-fi short stories in this anthology and I would feel privileged if you decided to read it.