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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Winking, Blinking, Nod(ing): A 2020 NaNoWriMo Parody

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Every year on the last day of October, I write a new parody for NaNoWriMo--The Raven, Trees, and even a song made it. Here's a 2020 NaNoWriMo Parody! via @chautonahavig

It happens every year… the annual NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) parody. I’ve done a few of these, of course!

  • The Night before Nano (A “T‘was the Night Before Christmas” parody)
  • The Raven (as in Poe’s, of course)
  • Tease (as in Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees”)
  • Till November (A “My Grandfather’s Clock” parody)
  • Goin’ on a Book Hunt (Going on a Bear Hunt parody)

With everything that went on last year, I didn’t even remember if I did a parody.  Guess what?  A bit of searching proved I did.  YAY. Still, this is one of the things I love most about October 31st.  While much of America dons costumes and goes in search of chocolate treasure, I order Chinese food and write parodies!  WOOT!

This year’s isn’t the greatest, but then none of them are really all that great, right?  It was fun, though, and I enjoyed it.  That’s what matters most to me.

2020 nanowrimo parody

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Winking, Blinking, Nod (ing): A 2020 NaNoWriMo Parody

Winking, Blinking, and Nod (ing)

Winking, blinking, she nods, one night
Awaiting the coming chime.
But then at midnight, the clock hands strike.
So slow the word count climbs.
“What are you writing? What tale will you tell?”
The left brain asked of the right.
“Of storms and destruction from sea swells
“And how they’ll inspire a fight.
“Bits of romance and faith will I write!”
Said the winking, blinking nod(er).

The left brain laughed and shook the head
As the right brain typed with great speed.
The story emerging through the night long
Kept her emotions keyed.
The seeds of romance rose up on waves
And crashed when the arguments flared.
“What’ll happen next? Will love be saved?
“Have they even a prayer?”
Asked the right of the left, despite the glare,
(of the) Winking, blinking nod(er).

All night long the words she wrote
Of islands with their warring hearts.
But at dawn, there came a sandman afloat
Tearing scribe and tale apart.
Although words still spun and swirled within—
A flight of fancy borne—
Weaving an age-old tale to resume again
Despite the writer’s scorn.
Left brain will war with right from dark until morn
(says the )Winking, blinking nod (er).

Winking and blinking are proofs of fatigue.
Nod (ing) makes writing so hard.
While the right and left brains remain in league
To turn the scribe into a bard (it’s hard).
So fingers fly while brain halves sing
Of wonderful stories to be,
And on the page, such beautiful things
Of sand, surf, and the stormy sea,
Form within the jumbled mind so sleepy:
And winking, blinking, nod (ing).

What am I writing this year?

Flipping HeartsWell, I’m excited to say that I have… get this.  A TITLE.  Flipping Hearts!  This is the third book in the Independence Islands Series and takes place on Hooper (Hopper to the locals) Island after a hurricane did some serious damage (not too bad but enough!  A TV show weasels their way into a contract to film there and Abel Crawforth’s son is in hot water–as is the girl he THINKS hoodwinked him into this. OOPS!

I hope you’re as eager to meet Brooks and the whole film crew headed to Hopper Island in July! Meanwhile, my next book in the series, Bookers on the Rocks, releases on January 26th!

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Filed Under: Short Stories Tagged With: NaNoWriMo

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episod 560: A Chat witih Melanie Dobson
byChautona Havig

No one does split-time like Melanie Dobson, and boy has she got a fabulous one for us now! Listen in to what she shares about her latest, The Lost Story of Via Belle.

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

I love hearing about authors’ research, but actually getting to see Grace Livingston Hill’s WRITING ROOM? WHAT?

The Lost Story of Via Belle by Melanie Dobson

Searching for a story to adapt for film, an aspiring screenwriter becomes captivated by a bestselling classic novel and the mysterious disappearance of the woman who wrote it.

1940. Via Belle’s sweet romance novels made readers believe in happily ever after. But Via’s reality was much more complicated. While her first husband was alive, her creativity thrived in a beautiful stone estate situated above a pristine lake and moonflower garden. After his tragic death and a whirlwind second marriage shrouded in secrets, Via vanished from public life, leaving behind a shadow of scandal . . . and her final story.

2006. Screenwriter Harper Rayne is desperate for a breakthrough, if only she can find the right story to tell. But when she digs into the life of her late mother’s favorite novelist, she never expects it to become personal. Drawn to the quaint Pennsylvania town where both her mother and Via once lived, Harper discovers more than a mystery to solve—she finds echoes of her own longing for love, healing, and home. As long-buried secrets come to light, Harper must decide if she’ll protect the past or rewrite this particular ending.

Described as a “powerhouse in dual-timeline Christian fiction” (Library Journal), Melanie Dobson delivers another rich, atmospheric novel about the legacy of sacrificial love and the redemptive power of truth.

  • Standalone dual-timeline historical mystery filled with drama, faith, and intrigue
  • Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner, Lisa Wingate, or Patti Callahan Henry
  • Includes discussion questions for book groups

You can learn more about Melanie Dobson on her WEBSITE. Also follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episod 560: A Chat witih Melanie Dobson
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