What I Do When I'm Not Writing; Guest Post by Marianna Baer, Author of FROST

What I Do When I'm Not Writing; Guest Post by Marianna Baer, Author of FROST

Have you ever wanted to be a writer living in NYC? Isn't that the Hollywood depiction, writers chatting with other writers in dimly lit bars holding glasses of white wine while they stand for hours in teeny black dresses and five-inch heels? Marianna Baer, author of FROST actually lives in Brooklyn but her days sound much better! Take it away Marianna!

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What do I do when I’m not writing? Good question! Because sometimes it seems like I haven’t looked away from my laptop screen in years.

Let’s start with some things I’m NOT doing when I’m not writing. I’m definitely not wasting time on the internet. No, way! I’m especially not looking for more cute dresses to buy because I do NOT need any more dresses. Really! Although…I do have a book party coming up. *Takes break to see if there’s anything new at Anthropologie.* I’m also definitely not playing with my cat; I’m not allowed to have pets in my apartment, so I do not have an almost-toothless, tiny black cat named Minka. (Really, if you are reading this Mr. Landlord – no cat here!) If I did, though, I’d probably be one of those crazy cat lady people who talked to her cat a lot.

Okay, now that we know what I’m NOT doing with my free time… I like to break up my writing day with a long walk, and since I live right near Prospect Park in Brooklyn, I usually go there. I spend most of the walk worrying about my writing and talking to myself. The amazing main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is on my route, so I stop in at least once a week to check out the YA section. On the weekend, I’ll also stop at the farmer’s market. All my ideas seem much more brilliant when I’m eating a fresh apple cider donut.

I spend a lot of time with friends, usually around a meal of some sort, either at their houses (my friends are fabulous cooks) or at our favorite restaurants. I also go to a number of YA related events every month. Living in NYC, there’s always a reading, signing, launch party, etc. going on. I belong to an amazing writers’ group and a book group, too. The community of writers here is one of the things I love most about living in the city.

The last thing I’ll mention is that since I come from an art background – I was an art major at school and worked at a gallery for a long time – I occasionally (not often enough) visit a museum or gallery, go to an opening, or break out my pen and watercolor and do an illustration. Someday I’d love to write and illustrate a picture book.

Oh, wait, one more thing. How could I forget? The MAIN thing I’m doing when I’m not writing is READING!

Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Cassandra!

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I spend all of my free time reading too :) That and playing with MolliePup! Thanks, Marianna!

What about you guys? What do you when you're not writing?