VERSE 1
Laptop on, and the screensaver stilled,
New Word document just waiting to be filled.
My fingers are poised and my first sentence rehearsed.
It’s 11:59, October thirty-first.

A fresh pot of coffee and plenty of snacks,
Defib machine against possible heart attacks.
This last minute’s going by way to slow . . .
Oh, my God, it’s midnight! Here I go!

It’s time to kick some literary ass!
No time for chores, work, a social life, or class.
I don’t even have time to write this song well,
Which is why this section sounds like Pachelbel.

I’ve got one thousand, six hundred sixty-seven words
To write before the day is out.
A fifty thousand word novel in just thirty days,
And not a clue what it should be about!

VERSE 2
Week one, and I’m going strong!
Hell, this is easy, I can do this all month long.
I may even finish up by day ten,
And then I can do it all over again!

The words flow like a river on a rainy day,
I’m well on my way towards that 50K.
Momentum is going, no slowing down.
. . . Nothing can stop me now!

I’m kicking some serious novel-writing ass!
And it’s true, I may be falling behind in class,
Dirty dishes lay forgotten in a growing pile,
And it’s possible I haven’t showered in a while,

But I've got one thousand six hundred sixty-seven words
To write, and more if time will allow.
I’m just ten thousand words into my novel . . .
. . . oh, crap, what happens now?

VERSE 3
It’s week two, and I’ve hit a wall.
Maybe I can’t really do this after all.
And everything I’ve written just sounds like poo.
What did I get myself into?

My plot twists pack a feeble punch.
My dialogue sounds like it’s from The Brady Bunch.
And every single one of my metaphors
Sounds like . . . a really bad . . . metaphor . . .

My characters are floundering through their tale,
The author they’re in search of is an epic fail.
And I have to resist, with all my being
To go back and rewrite everything.

‘Cause I've got one thousand six hundred and sixty-seven words
To write before my brain is shot.
I’m twenty thousand words into my novel,
And I still have not located the plot!

BRIDGE (or VERSE 3.5)
But now I’m fighting out of this slump,
Chris Baty writes and gets me off of my rump.
I go and visit Heather Dudley’s station
For creative methods of procrastination

I go and read Lindsey Grant’s Q&A,
Find out what the people in the forums say.
And after I've read through a Pep Talk or two
I suddenly know what I have to do!

Write one thousand six hundred sixty-seven words
For National Novel Writing Month.
Just keep plugging ahead and don’t look back,
. . . Damn it, nothing rhymes with month.

VERSE 4
Week three, and we’re half way there.
I’m a bit behind, but I don’t care.
I’ve finally got my second wind,
And I’m gonna have this word count pinned.

And then, week four, the end is in sight.
The tunnel’s still dark, but I can see the light.
But I’m still woefully behind,
There’s gotta be some more words that I can find!

Introduce a new character, describe a tree.
Maybe add a sex scene to chapter thirty-three.
I don't care about my mistakes any more.
As they say, editing is what December is for!

I’ve got the last thousand six hundred sixty-seven words
To write before the month is done.
I'm 50,000 words into my novel . . .
Oh, my God, I actually won!

TAG
I wrote a thousand six hundred and sixty-seven words
A day until the month was through.
It took strength, caffeine, and plenty of tears,
But in the end, there was nothing to fear,
So to all you WriMos, I’ll see you next year,
But right now, I’ve got some editing to do!