During the hours spent daydreaming and preparing to write, there are many distractions waiting to steal you away from the page. Meryl Baer discusses just this and more in today's chat about her pages penned in pandemic.
What does the pandemic currently look like in your city?
Initially low numbers, but rising now. Cautious optimism.
What are some favorite books you've read during quarantine?
The Splendid and the Vile, Doc by Mary Russell, Jane Austin in Boca.
If you haven't been reading, what are some books you're most looking forward to reading?
My next two books: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, and Florence Adler Swims Forever.
How has the pandemic affected your writing?
More erratic, more serious, less focused, more nostalgic.
Are there any projects you are excited to keep working on? If so, can you give us any details (no spoilers please!) about your project?
On writing: compiling book of my best blog posts plus additional short memoir pieces.
If you haven't been able to write, are there any projects you're hoping to work on next?
Gardening, Little Free Library, more cooking.
If asked ten years from now what the past few months have taught you about being a writer, what would come to mind?
Focus, focus, focus, maintain schedule of a sort, watch out for too many unimportant distractions.
Have there been any fellow writers or people in your life who have helped you stay connected during the pandemic?
Diaries in crisis writing about the pandemic, through Stockton University here in New Jersey, also a more informal writing group, we meet monthly.
Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? Has this changed during the pandemic?
Closer to a pantser.
Where is your favorite place to write? Has this changed during the pandemic?
My family room couch and, in good weather, my front porch.
Without too many spoilers, what is your favorite scene / poem you've written since the pandemic began?
A 3-hour road trip to visit a friend.
While the future is just as unknowable as ever, what is something you are most looking forward to this year?
New Year's Eve and welcoming a new, and hopefully more interesting, active, and safe year.
Is there any advice you would give to young writers during this time?
Don't procrastinate.
ABOUT Meryl Baer
Meryl Baer is recovering from a career in finance and lives at the New Jersey shore. Relatives and friends visit all summer, except the summer of 2020, when nobody came. No one comes during the winter, so she writes. Her work has appeared in anthologies (most recently Pomme Journal and Perspectives Magazine). Read about her life, travels, family, food, current events and whatever else she feels like writing about on her blog: Beach Boomer Bulletin.
To learn more, follow Meryl and her writing journey at her blog and on Twitter and Facebook.
Thanks for chatting, Meryl!
