Twas the Night Before NaNo – A Poem by Jenn Falls

“Twas the Night Before NaNo” by Jenn Falls

 (Disclaimer: Please forgive the forced rhymes and hard rhythms! This was written in fun and total procrastination. Any similarity to other famous poems is completely fortuitous.)

‘Twas the night before NaNo

And all through the ‘net,

All the writers were hoping

Their plots were all set

They tweeted excitement

And used #NaNoPrep,

Then readied their fingers

To take the next step

“What is NaNoWriMo?,”

I heard people say.

It’s a chance to start writing

And join in the fray!

For people who dream

Of completing a book,

They write when they’re able,

By hook or by crook

A writer finds time,

Whether dark night or day,

To write down the words

And complete 50K

“But how can you write words

a thousand times fifty?”

Those word wars and sprints

Help the writing seem nifty.

So all ‘cross the globe

On this Halloween Night

The writers count down

To begin at midnight

And all ‘cross the lands

And in all kinds of places,

The writers set up their own

Personalized spaces

In libraries, coffee shops,

Houses, and nooks,

They all begin writing

Their imagined books.

Then once the new word counts

Begin to accrue,

They share with each other

The hope to get through

To reach the set number

Of word counts each year

Is not the real point

Of the project, my dear!

To write anything

Or to start a new thought

Is worth it to try

To write down your new plot

Whether pantser or planner,

You might learn a trick

To establish new habits

And get them to stick

Through the month of November

The moments will fly

As we all come together

And give it a try

In write-ins and meetings,

In person and wired,

Community helps us

To never get tired

On this night before NaNo,

With my heart beating fast,

I hope these excited

Emotions will last.

So thanks to the Office

Of Letters and Light,

I wait anxiously

For this glorious night

For the next thirty days

We call NaNoWriMo,

I hope inspiration

Through your fingers will flow

I hope all of you writers

Who join in this quest

That you find joy in writing.

I wish you the best!

And…

If you need some kind words

Or perhaps just a friend,

Look up bellajenn

And we’ll get to the end!