“Brief verse (perhaps a ‘nano-rhyme’?)
To wish success and writing time
To those who on month’s novel path go:
Best of luck in NaNoWriMo!”
This Twitter poem was written for the start of National Novel Writing Month 2019 and posted on 1 November 2019. It highlights the presence of “nano”– a metric prefix– in the common shorthand for the month: NaNoWriMo.
“Brief verse (perhaps a ‘nano-rhyme’?)”
The choice of prefix and the aim of the brief verse here aligned fortuitously; hence this essay’s title. “Nano” is a metric prefix meaning 10-9, indicating that whatever measurement cited will be on the order of one-billionth. It may be useful to first reference what’s likely a more familiar metric prefix, “centi,” via the centimeter: by definition, 10-2 meter, or one one-hundredth of a meter. Likewise, a nanometer is one one-billionth of a meter; a nanosecond is one one-billionth of a second. This brief, four-line poem was a tiny one and thus “perhaps a nano-rhyme.” Moreover, the “nano-rhyme” phrase alluded to the sound of “NaNoWriMo” in its entirety, which is what had initially inspired the poem.
“To wish success and writing time /
To those who on month’s novel path go: /
Best of luck in NaNoWriMo!”
I am consistently impressed with the efforts of those who complete NaNoWriMo, writing a draft of a novel in thirty days; returning to writing has been immensely rewarding over the past few years, but my efforts are almost entirely brief by definition: couplets, limericks, double dactyls; these accompanying essays. The task of writing a full-length book (“month’s novel path”) seems most daunting!
That said, I fully appreciate the value of a consistent routine, and I have found that my day-to day work benefits from finding writing time during the evenings and weekends. That’s particularly true in the midst of this chaotic, challenging year, and so I also wish the best of luck to those who’ve started this effort here in 2020.
