Isn't it ironic?

When I look back on my life I see a lot of ironies. For example, in my teenage years I was extremely proud of my intellect. I considered that my mind and thoughts were the one thing I could rely on in any situation. I remember sitting down, like King Nebuchadnezzar and believing that I was completely in control of my little kingdom.

What is ironic about that? The irony was that around about the age of 19 I found out that my mind was not as reliable as I thought. If conscience is a compass, then my compass well and truly broke.

At university I took a lot of recreational drugs. After a while using psychedelic and recreational drugs I began to realize that I wasn’t in control at all. I began to understand that I lived in a world in which I couldn’t win every argument. I began to understand that there was also a spiritual world. It reached such a point that one of my university friends called me ‘Mad Nick’.

My middle name is Christian. That’s a bit ironic considering I am a Christian (and then there is my surname White, (I am white) and my first name is Nicholas (I don’t wear knickers (usually)).

Despite my middle name, aged 19 I was prejudicially anti-Christian in practice. The drug use was largely hedonism and was a mistake I couldn’t see at the time. The further ironies came a few years after I stopped taking drugs. My conscience was still broken.

When I was baptised as an adult I was given this scripture as a kind of message from God:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5).

What I didn’t know at that point was that the drugs had caused a few changes in my brain which were to result in subsequent mental health problems.

Sitting down, aged 24 on a hospital bed with my kingdom in ruins I realized that, like King Nebuchadnezzar I had lost my power. I had lost my individual sovereignty to mental illness, mostly because of pride. The choices I had made had resulted in an ironic humbling. My drug-use caused my mental health problems. And it was my fault.

I’m trying to make two points with this blog entry. The first is my personal conviction that drug use can cause mental health problems. That is something those involved in the drugs trade don’t want you to believe. They want you believe that those with mental illness have used drugs in the past to self-medicate. Because any other possibility is simply bad for business.

The second point is to ask you to consider whether the ironies in your own life might point to the existence of God and your inherent value as a human being.

Most ironies are negative. If they point to the existence of a God who orchestrates these ironies like a good Author then obviously that leads on to a debate about the character of this Author. And that question, like the question about whether drugs can cause mental illness, is still being debated. Ironic.

New Media Regulator Plan

(Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament)

Sick of decisions being made over your head? Distrustful of media and Government? Sick of media attitude, bias and intrusion? Worried that the new media regulator won't be independent?

If anybody wants to make a comment to the Department of Culture Media and Sport you have until 23 May to get your voice heard.

Anyone reading the new proposal will immediately realise that the language used in the plan is both archaic and inaccessible. Don't let this put you off, tell the authorities what you think about the whole issue.

You have a right to be heard. A new body will decide how all media complaints are handled. It will also draw up a new code of conduct for journalists and editors.

It would be a cruel irony if the process which is supposed to be instrumental in stopping people being misled is itself misleading and biased.

We are supposed to be equal. But, as Orwell said - 'some animals are more equal than others'. Don't let them bully you.

If you want to get your voice heard then go to the following page, read the document and email the link there.

http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/royal-charters/petitions-for-royal-charters/

Publishing eBooks

Quite a lot of my spare time is now spent collaborating on a project with a very talented writer. Okay, I’m biased, the writer is my wife.

The book we are working on is called ‘What Rocks Your World’ - a unique careers book for 13-19 year olds.

The difference between this book and your average careers book is that it is written by someone who genuinely cares for young people. She also happens to be well qualified and very experienced in the careers world.

What makes this particular book special is that it is accessible to teenagers. The whole point is to capture the imaginations of young people, to inspire them and give them a sense of purpose in life. So it meets young people where they are at by using the talent show format. It then goes on to show that they too have skills and talents which they can use in many different ways on the world’s stage.

So far we have done a lot of research and trialled out the book with both young people and adults. And we’ve set up a competition for a young designer to design the cover (it seems right that a young person should do this).

Now the book is written and we have gone through most of the proof-reading and editing stages. We have a few more things to do on it before it will be launched but we’re well ahead of our deadline of September.

Doing all this has given me even more experience in proof-reading, editing and eBook publishing at all stages.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I’ve just set myself up as a freelance writer and editor. So one of the reasons for writing this blog entry is to offer my editing and eBook publishing skills to anyone out there who may have written something which they want publishing as an eBook. I can professionally edit your work for a very competitive price. I can also help with the formatting, publishing and cover design.

Please get in touch with me if this is something you would like to do. Take a look around my website www.nickwhitewriting.com.

Also, I’ve started a promotion so that my eBook ‘Compliance is Futile’ is free on Amazon today (1^st May 2013) if you haven’t read it already.

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.