CampNaNoWriMo dashboard indicating I wrote 33,000 words

Okay, I didn’t reach my CampNaNoWriMo goal, but I’m SO PROUD!

On 1 May 2023 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn CampNaNoWriMo, This blog's posts, WritingLeave a comment

I’m just sitting here stunned. In April, I hurled myself into Camp NaNoWriMo with not much heads-up. I had a couple of paragraphs and an illustration for something called Hot Wings and Sauciness. Was this a good idea? Just diving in? Especially since I had been so tied up with health issues and other stressors since the year began?

YES, MUCH GOOD IDEA!

My brain was aching for a creativity stint. I needed to write.

I set a goal of 40K words, which with my chronic pain is hard to do. But holy smokies, I ended up writing 33K words! I also did this:

had a blast
fell in love with these characters
cared for this “throwaway project”
realized I don’t want to throw it away after all

I also accommodated for my pain and fatigue and didn’t write every day. Now I have something that is wonderfully raw and first drafty, and I know how to finish it. This will be my first very short novel and something I want to indie publish in hopes of raising funds for cool projects with the Spoonie Authors Network. Hey, a disabled crone can dream, can’t she?

So yeah, here’s my dashboard as of April 30, 2023:

CampNanoWriMo dashboard with the mock cover and showing I wrote 33,000 words of my 40,000 word goal.

These NaNoWriMos are great motivators for me. And they not only get me back into the habit of writing but also the desire to write. I’ve been in production mode for two years with Nothing Without Us Too and Season One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space, so it’s nice just to play in my wordbox again (like a sandbox but with words).

I’m going to continue with Hot Wings and Sauciness this month, until I have a completed super-duper raw first draft. Like Terry Pratchett said, I’m just telling myself the story right now.

So, there ya go! Whoo!

Remember that we often think too much in a binary way—pass or fail, win or lose. The reality is we need to celebrate all the things. I didn’t “lose” anything! I wrote 33,000 words that weren’t there in March! I got a story to be enthusiastic about. To quote Ted Lasso, my book is a “work-in-prog-mess,” and I couldn’t be more proud.

I challenge you to be proud of yourself today. Go for it. Be shameless.

There’s too much self-bashing in AuthorWorldLand. Let’s try the other way, okay? Be your own cheerleader!

Because I have a strong suspicion other folks think you’re awesome too.

A greyscale close-up of me, standing in front of a blank background. I am a white woman with short silver hair cropped closely on the sides. I am wearing dark metallic rimmed glasses with rhinestones on the side. I’m wearing silver hook earrings with flat beads and a plaid shirt.

Cait Gordon is an autistic, disabled, and queer Canadian writer of speculative fiction that celebrates diversity. She is the author of Life in the ’Cosm, The Stealth Lovers, and the forthcoming Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space (2023). Cait also founded the Spoonie Authors Network and joined Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the multi-genre disability fiction anthologies Nothing Without Us and Nothing Without Us Too.

Featured photo is a screenshot of my CampNaNoWriMo dashboard.

It’s Autism Awareness/Acceptance/Celebration Month, and I’m writing an autistic protagonist in my new WIP!

On 7 Apr 20237 Apr 2023 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Autism, disability advocacy, This blog's posts, WritingLeave a comment

Let me begin by admitting that I totally forgot it was that month. I say it this way, a bit jaded, because April is often a battleground on Twitter between Autism Mom Warriors and/or autism organizations and/or autism “professionals” trying to speak over adults who are autistic. Sometimes it’s even autistic adults who have formal diagnoses going after those of us who are self-discovered. (To be clear though, there are also many, many diagnosed autistic folks who are overwhelmingly supportive of those who are prevented from getting a diagnosis. And for the most part, autistic culture validates self-discovered or self-Dxed people.) But yeah, because I quit the Twitters, I just plain didn’t remember it was the month of autism awareness, acceptance, and celebration.

Which is kinda funny because at the last second, I decided to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo to write “the awkward space opera romance nobody asked for” known as Hot Wings and Sauciness. Something in my subconscious must have remembered something about April because my female protagonist is a feisty autistic and disabled 50something. (Honestly, I have no idea where I came up with that notion…cough…) Anyway, I’m having fun going back to my absurdist humour roots, but even after the first seven days of writing this character, something cool is happening to me.

I feel really empowered.

It must be something akin to unmasking when an autistic author writes an autistic protagonist. Because my self-confidence is boosted (I know, please run and hide) and my identity is affirmed. Autistic folks can be romantic leads! I also have a romantic subplot in Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space! that starts in “Episode 3: Herbie Tries to Flirt.” And that was cathartic for me to write as well. Even though I purposely have no cited diagnoses in my Iris and the Crew series, I did reflect my neurodivergence onto Herb and a couple of other characters.

But Colleen O’Donnell in Hot Wings is written differently. (Why, it’s almost like we autistics are not a monolith!) I think I’ve just slammed my foot on the gas for this lead. She’s from Earth in the not-so-distant future, so it’s not an idyllic world-building. And this gives me a chance to vent some feelings through her about disability and acceptance. But, it’s funny too. Well, it’s absolutely ridiculous at times. Humour is a great vehicle for storytelling. It’s my fave, really.

I also find with ripping off the mask comes untold freedom, whether in real life or through characters. And honestly, with so many non-autistic folks thinking they know people like me, but who really do not, if I don’t represent myself on the page, I will just shut down.

My voice deserves to be out there, not held back.

I have no idea if I will ever publish Hot Wings and Sauciness, but I am so glad I’m giving it a whirl. As with several of my short stories and especially with Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space, I am writing for myself first. To soothe my spirit through storytelling. That has to by my priority. It’s self-care and self-love. Then, if I feel ready, I will happily invite others to come along for the ride by putting it out in the world.

For now, I am just going to enjoy celebrating my autistic self, by creating art. It feels like the right thing to do.

Featured photo by FWStudio on Pexels.com

Mini-novel Monday: I’m off Camping! Well, sort of.

On 3 Apr 20233 Apr 2023 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn This blog's posts, Writing2 Comments

So far, 2023 has been a whirlwind of drama from all dimensions. I’ve been on antibiotics for five out of twelve weeks (hopefully, it’s all over now), I yeeted Twitter into the stratosphere, I set even more boundaries on social media, I did several virtual panels and a reading, and I’ve been working on the cover design illustration for Sesaon One: Iris and the Crew Tear Through Space!

Time for a rest, right?

Well, I have decided to go camping. Camp NaNoWriMo style, that is!

I have been benevolently threatening to write a romance novel for years now. While I add romantic elements in all of my novels, I’m not really a romance author. And guess what? I’m still not! As if that’s gonna stop me from trying a thing this month!

My project is a 40K-ish novel titled Hot Wings and Sauciness. It’s the awkward space opera romance nobody asked for! Whoo! I’m going back to my roots of silliness but adding some spice too—a romance through the filter of my autistic brain. In fact, the protagonist, Colleen O’Donnell, is a snarky and saucy space station technician in her 50s who is autistic and disabled. Perfect leading lady, imo.

What?

Anyway, she hasn’t been in a relationship in years but isn’t bothered about that at all. Yet, one day on the job as she’s heading to service an air filtration unit for a melodramatic dowager countess, her friend ’Brina messages her to be on the alert for “Captain Hot Wings.” ’Brina even calls him a potential match for Colleen. Of course, Colleen dismisses the idea of this Adonis right away, but her brain keeps nudging her to be curious.

But there’s not much time to think of this guy. ’Brina and Sharon have invited a bunch of their friends, including Colleen, out for a hen party to celebrate their upcoming nuptials. And no better place to go than the Coq of the Walk, which features exotic male dancers and the best chicken wings in the solar system. Colleen would rather shave her eyelids than head there, but she’ll go along to support her friend.

Little does she know their group will all be at this hen party… dressed as hens.

Colleen then discovers an entire spectrum of being unimpressed while a stranger behind her cannot help but be amused at the expression on her face.

So, yeah, it’s absurdist and ridiculous, and a much-needed project. I have been so hard at work during this pandemic with the Nothing Without Us Too anthology and Iris and the Crew, it’s time to go back to my roots of playful and absurd humour. It’s also nice to have a protagonist who shares my neurotype, age, and disability. I can just put my foot on the gas and vrrrm!

I have about 3K written so far and will write more this afternoon!

A camping I will go!

(I love NaNoWriMo for motivation. Have you had good experiences? Let me know in the comments!)

Featured photo is a screen grab of my Camp NaNoWriMo dashboard

ID: Mock cover image of Iris and the Crew Tear Space a New One. Text reads: Camp NaNoWriMo Day 30, Final word count: 12, 042

Camp NaNoWriMo Day 30: Why I Feel Like a Winner

On 30 Apr 2020 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Health, This blog's posts, WritingLeave a comment

So, my final word count was 12,042. It hasn’t changed since my last update, but do I ever have a good reason for that! (Coming up in my next post, so stay tuned!)

I had set a goal for 40,000 words, knowing it was really ambitious, but I wanted to prod myself a little. As with many creatives who are experiencing all the ups and downs that go with this pandemic, it was difficult for me to focus on writing this month, too.

But that’s so totally okay because I feel like a winner!

Why?

I wrote words! Those are 12,042 new words for my manuscript that weren’t there in March!
I got to know my characters. This is a different world from the ’Cosm series, but I’ve learned to love these characters! I’m very attached to them and hope I’ll write more books with them.
Our writing group came back online. The Inkonceivables is back, which is wonderful, and means they’ll influence me to keep writing. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to read and to listen to works in progress!
I went through a bad spell, but my writing community was there for me! Because of their encouragement, I feel ready to go with drafting the rest of the “episodes” of Iris and the Crew Tear Space a New One! (Read also: My Writing Community Rescued Me Once Again)

So, once more, I’m glad Camp NaNoWriMo came around this April. It served its purpose: getting me back to my keyboard. It also reignited my love for our writing group. I feel all set up to continue my new WIP, and that’s all I could ask for, really.

WOOHOO!

Take care and stay safe, folks.

Cait Gordon, in a black and white digital sketch

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate who wants everyone to pummel that curve!

She’s also the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers. When Cait’s not writing, she’s editing manuscripts and running The Spoonie Authors Network, a blog whose contributors manage disabilities and/or chronic conditions. She also teamed up with Kohenet Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the Nothing Without Us anthology in an attempt to take over the world.

CampNaNoWriMo Dashboard Results, Day 3: 4,847/40,000 words

Iris and the Crew is underfoot!

On 3 Apr 2020 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Health, This blog's posts, WritingLeave a comment

Total word count: 10,924 (4, 847 during Camp NaNoWriMo)

You know, my writing of space opera books has been a bit of a weird experience. I wrote Life in the ’Cosm while in intense physical pain, barely able to walk or stand. I wrote The Stealth Lovers while experiencing the worst panic attacks of my life. And now I’m writing Iris and the Crew Tear Space a New One during a…global pandemic?

What the heck, folks?

And I’m still injecting humour into this work, too. I don’t fully understand it either, but maybe I’m imaginative and funny during stressful times because I just need to be. My brain wants to travel to the worlds I build. I find comfort there.

The last thing I expected to do right now was to be productive on a book project. But I guess we embrace the salve we require for our souls at times like these.

So, Camp NaNoWriMo is the motivator for me this month. To date, I’ve three of the thirteen “episodes” drafted for Iris and the Crew. I’m getting really attached to these characters. I thought I’d have a hard time not being with my ’Cosm aliens, but my heart has expanded to love a whole new cast!

It also feels good to be in a story that’s dominated by disabled, Deaf, and neurodiverse folks. It’s like being on the ship with a Disabled community who I can hang with on their adventures as a crew and in their personal spaces.

Writing this as a “season one” series with 13 episodes seems to be the trick as well. I knew I’d be too tired for undertaking an epic novel in 2020, so these self-contained episodes are lovely to put together. And there’s still forward motion, too.

Hey, if I can’t get hired to write a series on Netflix, I’ll write it in book format! 🙂

Now to take a break and eat lunch.

Keep well, everyone. Stay safe!

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate who wants everyone to pummel that curve!

My dashboard from Camp NaNoWriMo, announcing Iris and the Crew Tear Space a New One.

Camp NaNoWriMo? Sure.

On 24 Mar 202025 Mar 2020 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn This blog's postsLeave a comment

I tried NaNoWriMo 2019, but was just too exhausted. Now we’re in a pandemic, and I desperately need distraction, so why the heck not? Let’s see how many words I can put together for Iris and The Crew Tear Space a New One. My goal is for this to be a shorter work, maybe under 50 000 words in total. I’m trying something different this time—writing 13 standalone short stories called episodes. I thought it would be fun to pretend the book is a space opera series readers can binge!

Here’s my attempt at a blurb for my Camp NaNo dashboard:

Lieutenant Eileen Iris and the command crew of the S.S. Sp00nZ have no idea what it means to be disabled. That's not a metaphor—no one in their galaxy has ever applied that term to living beings before. So, when a startled intergalactic janitor calls them disabled but gets beamed back to NASA a bit too soon, they realize they might never get the answer to that particular question.

Unphased, duties resume as Iris tries to appease her overprotective guidebot Clarence; security Chief Lartha and her new sentient prosthetic legs offer kickass protection; Lieutenant Commander Herbert’s inventiveness is a treasured godsend (though he's not quite grasped how to flirt); science officer Commander Davan provides excellent counsel while signing his need for spicy hash browns, and Captain Warq's genteel but firm leadership keeps everyone at their best.

Until on one mission, where they tear space a new one. Just a little bit.

Putting my headspace into stories where disabled, blind, Deaf, and neurodiverse aliens are the stars of the show is just what I need now. As a human on Earth, I’m drained from eugenics-based grossness I’ve read from entitled ableds during this COVID-19 crisis. Time for me to dive in to a totally accommodating world where we can find ourselves represented in a command crew!

Will keep you posted on my progress!

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate and the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers. When she’s not writing, Cait’s editing manuscripts and running The Spoonie Authors Network, a blog whose contributors manage disabilities and/or chronic conditions. She also teamed up with Kohenet Talia C. Johnson to co-edit the Nothing Without Us anthology in an attempt to take over the world. Narf.

It Began and Ended with a NaNoWriMo

On 30 Apr 201830 Apr 2018 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn Spoonie challenges, This blog's posts, Writing7 Comments

Okay, I have been converted. As one who once staunchly objected to NaNoWriMo, I get it now. It’s a really good motivator. At least for me.

I was in such a rut last year with personal stuff and couldn’t get out of my own head. All I could manage were short stories. The sequel to my first book was left by the wayside. Against all my internal protests, I decided to try NaNoWriMo 2017, my first ever, with the notion of writing a new project—the prequel to Life in the ’Cosm, called The Stealth Lovers. I knew I’d outline it like a series of short stories. I figured, What the heck? Let’s see what I can manage writing every day. I’d never really tried writing every day before because of my disability, so I decided to break the 50,000 word goal into small chunks. Never did I imagine I’d write that much in a month, anyway. This would just be a test.

I ended up with over 50K in the manuscript. What the actual [censored]?!

Huh. Whaddaya know? NaNoWriMo kickstarted me out the funk. And I had a start to a novel that I fell in love with.

Then real life came back and it was time to edit other authors’ books for several months. I found myself with less time to work on The Stealth Lovers, so I scheduled a two-month break for April and May 2018. My goal was to finish the first draft of my novel. I swear to you, I didn’t realize April was Camp NaNoWriMo. Had no clue! But it was, and I liked how I could set my own word count this time. I chose 25,000 words, feeling this is what I needed to complete the draft. And whaddaya know? I went very slightly over and the first draft is done! Will take the month of May to nurse what I’ve written so I can send a better version to beta readers before I go into intense self-editing.

Camp-2018-Winner-Twitter-Header-1 — (A banner with a Swiss Army knife made up of writing tools. Text reads: 2018 Winner Camp NaNoWriMo.)

So, yeah. That happened. Now I can’t object to NaNoWriMo anymore!

Why was I so against it for years? I reckon it was because of how I’d seen writers lament that they’d failed when they didn’t achieve the 50,000 words. One person was upset they’d only written 30,000 words. I was like: Um, dude. You wrote 30K. That’s amazing. It just so happened that I’d been exposed to people with really negative views or experiences of the thing. I felt turned right off.

But when I approached it, I did so as a Spoonie. I wanted to see if I could manage a 1670 daily word count last November. I also knew because of my chronic pain, I would treat myself as winning just for the attempt. Whatever amount of words I’d write, I would congratulate myself for it. I also stopped reading everything about NaNoWriMo and went by the beat of my own drum kit. By knowing my own body and not sprinting, I actually did the thing!

Now I have a novel. I’m pretty excited about it and can’t wait to get it polished enough for my beta readers. I’ve chosen a good bunch of people, too. This is where the real fun begins!

It also helps that my publisher is looking forward to publishing it, too!

Anyway, I still stand by what I say about NaNoWriMo—don’t think you’ve ever failed by trying your best. This event was invented so that people could spark themselves into writing—period. If you use it as a tool and not let it be your oppressor, you might find that it can help you meet writing goals, or make you fall in love with writing again. I’m kind of grateful I tried it.

But if it’s not for you, don’t force it. There are many ways to skin a cat.

You know, I’ve never understood that expression. I’ve also never known anyone who skinned cats. And really, would there be more than one way? Idioms are weird.

I’ll keep you posted here and on social media about the progress of The Stealth Lovers. In the meantime, you can read my proposed back blurb and watch the teaser trailer. If you’d not read Life in the ’Cosm yet, you can buy it here (or on any Amazon)!

Cait Gordon Cait (pronounced like “cat”) Gordon is originally from Verdun, Québec, and has been living in the suburbs of Ottawa since 1998. Her first novel, Life in the ’Cosm (Renaissance) was published in 2016. Her short story, A Night at the Rabbit Hole, appears in the Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland anthology (Exile Editions). She’s currently working on The Stealth Lovers, a prequel to the ’Cosm series. For her day job, Cait is a freelance editor. Some of the titles she’s edited include Confessions of a Mad Mooer: Postnatal Depression Sucks (Robin Elizabeth), Camp Follower: One Army Brat’s Story (Michele Sabad), Skylark (S.M. Carrière), Little Yellow Magnet (Jamieson Wolf), A Desert Song (Amy M. Young), and Moonshadow’s Guardian (Dianna Gunn). Cait is also the founder and editor of the Spoonie Authors Network, whose contributors manage chronic conditions and/or disabilities.

I’ve gone camping! To Camp NaNoWriMo, that is.

On 4 Apr 2018 By Cait (like Kat) GordonIn This blog's posts, WritingLeave a comment

Well, whaddaya know? I said I wouldn’t do NaNoWriMo again (after I’d completed my first in 2017 and actually hit the 50,000 word goal), but guess what? I’m baaaack!

It just happens that I am on a two-month break from my freelance editing day job. I needed time to regroup and refresh, but also to finish The Stealth Lovers, which is the prequel to Life in the ’Cosm. April is Camp NaNoWriMo month for 2018. Who knew?! I figured, What the hay? I’ll write in April and clean it up in May!

The thing I like better about Camp NaNoWriMo is I get to set my own word-count limit. I reckon I’ll need about 25,000 words to finish the book. So, each day I sit down to write my daily quota, then close the laptop. That’s how I did it in November. Seems to work for me.

Wouldn’t it be funny if this book started with NaNoWriMo and ended with Camp NaNoWriMo? I mean, sure, it’ll have to be edited and beta-read and so on, but I think that would be a hoot.

WARNING: Spoilery stuff, if you’ve not read Life in the ’Cosm!

I’m currently crafting Part 3 of the novel. The Stealth Lovers reads like a collection of stories—gathered by author Virj Ofreesin—about the military adventures of Xaxall Dwyer Knightly and Vivoxx Tirowen, a Draga couple known as The Stealth. It’s been a total blast to write so far. I’ve already got some words tossed into most of the chapters for Part 3, but others are blank. It’s fun to see what I’m doing with one of the blank chapters. All it had was a title! Ah, the adventure of sculpting a manuscript.

Anyway, follow me on Twitter or in my Facebook group to see how I’m doing. Say hi, too! I’m shockingly friendly.

Cheers to all the Campers out there! Good luck arranging the alphabet this month!

Cait (pronounced like “cat”) Gordon is originally from Verdun, Québec, and has been living in the suburbs of Ottawa since 1998. Her first novel, Life in the ’Cosm (Renaissance) was published in 2016. Her short story, A Night at the Rabbit Hole, appears in the Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland anthology (Exile Editions). She’s currently working on The Stealth Lovers, a prequel to the ’Cosm series. For her day job, Cait is a freelance editor. Some of the titles she’s edited include Confessions of a Mad Mooer: Postnatal Depression Sucks (Robin Elizabeth), Camp Follower: One Army Brat’s Story (Michele Sabad), Skylark (S.M. Carrière), Little Yellow Magnet (Jamieson Wolf), A Desert Song (Amy M. Young), and Moonshadow’s Guardian (Dianna Gunn). Cait is also the founder and editor of the Spoonie Authors Network, whose contributors manage chronic conditions and/or disabilities.