Boss

I remember learning the word boss at a fairly young age (it actually sounds the same in Russian). It was someone my dad argued with, my mum got upset by, while my granny kept insisting that hers shouldn’t have got the job in the first place. Having worked professionally for a while now, I can declare that I’ve been lucky with bosses. Our managers are people who used to do the same job we do. They understand the difficulties and encourage openness and collaboration. Still, they do, at times, force their point of view. With explanations, of course. They oversee the projects and sometimes they have to call the shots. But if I believe my manager is wrong, I go and talk to him. No problem there. The situation I’m trying to describe in the Snowflake is the opposite.

There are certain jobs that require more responsibility on the manager’s part, the jobs that carry higher penalties for failure. In a job like that, a boss might be stricter, have a more totalitarian point of view. Now, if your boss was like that and he/she happened to firmly believe something that you felt was wrong, what would you do? And what if you already tried to point out the mistake and he/she refused to listen, refused to even consider it? How would you go about it?

Have you ever faced a situation like this?

Snowflake, Chapter 3

I want to give special thanks to everyone who follows my blog, leaves comments and answers my seemingly unrelated questions. I promise that all the posts on this blog are related to various topics raised in the novel and I hope that one day I’ll be able to write your names in the acknowledgements section on the first pages of the Snowflake. As for now, I’d like to give you Chapter 3.

Child in distress

Humans are social animals. We need community, small group of people, who are always there for us to rely on. We enjoy ‘me-time’, but still crave that emotional high that only interaction with others can bring. Sharing, chatting, having a laugh, talking about nothing and everything at the same time. Yet, it is the ability to ask for help, ability to use experience of others, that differentiate us from the rest of the animal kingdom and give a deeper meaning to our need for interaction.

We’ve all been there. In a place with seemingly no exit. In a place like this, our family, friends, loved ones, even people we met on the tube never to see them again, can provide valuable advice, insight, help. Of course, asking for that help can be tough. Especially, if you are a child, your parents are not there and people around you not realising that there’s anything wrong. What do you do? Who do you turn to?

Regular breaks while writing.

Your feedback is proving to be a great inspiration for my writing. Like a siren, it sends out a glorious song that my muse doesn’t seem able to refuse. I wrote two chapters in the last week and started a third. Unfortunately, my personal monster – the doubt – also decided to make a comeback and I need your advice. Recently I’ve been finding it very easy to write. Not only that, writing seems to happen without much intervention on my part. Sometimes, I feel that somebody has uploaded all the information into my head and I’m simply relaying it onto computer screen. I’ve done some reading on the topic, but couldn’t find a definitive answer. There’s, of course, the infamous NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) approach where participants write 50,000 words in a month, though that’s not quite it. Still, there many published writers out there who insist that writing ‘on a single breath’ (as we Russians say) leads to plot stagnation and monotony in narrative. I would like to hear your opinion on the question. Is it necessary to take regular breaks while writing, even when you have plenty to write about?

Snowflake, Chapter 2

I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed reading the Snowflake. I surely have enjoyed writing it for you. To be perfectly honest, I expected more criticism. My hands did tremble slightly every time I checked the page. And yes, I have indeed mistyped the address too many times to count this week.

Roger, your words touched me deeply. I’m glad that Internet gives us this unique chance to meet and talk to interesting and strong people like you.

I will try to incorporate all your feedback into my writing and, hopefully, one day I’ll be able to get simple pleasure from knowing that somewhere out there, there are people escaping reality of everyday life and losing themselves in my stories. In the meanwhile, please read the second chapter of the Snowflake. I hope it takes you on a little journey.