Flights of Foundry 2024 Recap

September 30, 2024 /

I’m wrapping up September with one of my favorite events of the year: Flights of Foundry! FoF is a free, virtual, international convention put on by Dream Foundry for SFFH creators and fans. It is a great resource for creatives at all stages of their careers and just a lot of fun. This is the second year I have attended and the first year I was part of the programming. I highly recommend it, as well as Dream Foundry, for anyone remotely interested in SFFH. Still not sure? Well, here’s all the fun stuff I got up to during the convention weekend.

Day 1:

Meet ‘n Greet
Description: Whether this is your first Flights of Foundry or your fifth, we’re glad to have you here! Come meet other folks in the FoF flock, make a con-buddy or two, talk about what you’re excited to see and participate in this weekend, and hang out.

This was a sort of drop in, drop out session just to get to know other people attending the convention. As someone in the discussions said, it’s very easy to be disconnected or a passive attendee at a virtual con, so sessions like this are great to bring you closer to your community of con-mates and fellow SFFH creators and fans. Our group had an interesting discussion about online gaming, Peter Pan, Con Crud (and how it doesn’t exist for virtual cons like FoF), and best practices for first time con-goers.

The Role of Strength and Femininity in SFF
Moderator: A.J. Super
Speakers: Jennifer Hudak, Monica Louzon, Amanda Helms, Laura Blackwell
Description: A discussion of what “strong” means in relation to female-presenting characters and the dichotomies of the expectations of the binary male and female in science fiction, fantasy, and speculative genres.

As a woman writer in SFF, I have seen (and written) my fair share of the Strong Independent Woman™️ character. And there really isn’t anything wrong with that character, but women, AFAB, and non-binary characters embody so much more than just one picture of strong femininity. I attended this panel to learn about all the different ways we as writers can present the multifaceted, complex, and all around badass reality that is womanhood.

Key Takeaways:

  • Strength is knowing when to yield and when to be unyielding.
  • The expansion of what is feminine needs to include an expansion of what is masculine, i.e. if women are allowed to be aggressive, but men cannot be soft, then that signals that being “like a man” is okay but being “like a woman” is not.
  • Femininity is very white-coded, and the intersection of race and gender is very much at play when it comes to strength and who is allowed to transcend the patriarchal boundaries with minimal pushback and who is not.

Confidence of a Mediocre White Man–How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome
Moderator: Christiane Knight
Speakers: Kate Maruyama, Eboni Dunbar, Liza Wemaker
Description: Imposter Syndrome is insidious and pervasive, especially for those who pursue creative careers. What can you do to get over it and persist? Our panelists will share tips for approaching the world and your work with more confidence, even when that confidence feels unearned.

One of the things I have been working on this year is my own self-confidence. Despite being advised not to, I often self-reject, or timidly submit, and I really don’t have any reason to. Yes, I can paper the walls of my home multiple times over with my rejections, but so can every writer out there! I have been a professional writer for 10 years. It’s high time I acted like it. I wanted to attend this panel to get some concrete strategies to tell my imposter syndrome to shut the hell up already.

Key Takeaways:

  • Keeping data on submissions and publications and awards can be a good asset to provide factual positive affirmations and validations to “prove” to yourself you are doing well.
  • Stories that come from other people always look like magic because they come from a brain that is not ours. Our own stories look like magic to other people.
  • Self-promo is part of the job and needs to be done not just to promote yourself, but your publisher, editor, artist, etc. Find ways, even small ones, to get comfortable with it being a part of your writing career.

Let’s Get Punk–Solarpunk, Lunarpunk, Cyberpunk, Dieselpunk, and More
Moderator: Kathleen (K.R.) Monin
Speakers: Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Alli Martin, SB Divya, Phoebe Barton
Description: There are a lot of subgenres of science fiction that lean on “punk” as part of their makeup. Let’s discuss what we like, what we love, what tropes and character archetypes we consider essentially punk, and recommend different *punk works.

Honestly, I was drawn to this panel because I had no idea there were so many punks! I didn’t even know what half the ones in the title were! Punk as a genre has always interested me, and I think it might be something I would want to write someday, so this was a pure learning experience for me.

Key Takeaways:

  • The core of punk is about rebellion against some social element, and the punks differ when it comes to whether or not they are focusing more on a consciousness or an aesthetic.
  • Solarpunk is like hobbits with technology!
  • When writing punk, writers should go into it with understanding and intentionality to make sure the themes shine through and shape the story.
  • Creating new punk genres is about finding and filling a thematic (or commercial) void.

Day 2:

Dabbling in Drabbles
Moderator: Kai Delmas
Speakers: Gideon P. Smith, Dawn Vogel
Description: A discussion about how to write drabbles. What makes them fun and interesting? Where can you get them published?

I love drabbles, and I was so excited to see a panel dedicated to them. Kai, Gideon, and Dawn are all masters of the format, and their insights were invaluable to me as I start making drabbles a larger part of my writing career.

Key Takeaways:

  • “Drabbles are the dessert of writing.” –Gideon P. Smith
  • Kai’s ingredients for a drabble: theme + emotion + situation
  • If you need to do worldbuilding, then it’s not a drabble (you don’t have the word space for that).

Decolonizing Cozy SFF
Moderator: Jenna Hanchey
Speakers: Gabriel Forcelledo Salmerón, Seoung Kim, Stephany Rojas Hidalgo, Gayathri Kamath, Sameem Siddiqui
Description: What makes cozy SFF feel “cozy”? Tea? Houseplants? Small stakes? Underlying each of these aspects of cozy SFF are colonial structures, from where tea and houseplants can be grown, the labor that grows them, and how they are transported, to the ways that “small stakes” often means obscuring these social structures to focus on personal issues. In this panel, we discuss why readers are attracted to a sense of cozy that ignores power, how personal issues are connected to social structures, and what it might look like to do cozy SFF differently.

As a white writer of, as many have described my stories, cozy SFF, I knew it was important for me to attend this panel, and I am so glad I did. The insights I gained, the epiphanies I had, the sheer number of awesome recs for my TBR!!! These are the types of panels I kind of wish were mandatory attendance because they not only change the way you view your work in the industry, but they empower you to make positive change in your personal and professional lives.

Key Takeaways:

  • Many mainstays of the cozy genre are inherently colonial tropes and should be challenged and/or outright dismantled.
  • Cozy = low stakes, but low stakes for which group of people?
  • “Escapism can be the first step in creating a new reality.”
  • The cozy genre is, in part, a backlash to the inclusion of BIPOC stories in predominantly white publishing.
  • Cozy should make room for the uncomfortable and the challenging.
  • Algorithms/marketing have made art more “safe” and no longer promote art that provokes or challenges mainstream (read: white) narratives and this has led to the elimination of BIPOC artists and art.

Self Care for Creatives
Moderator: Jennifer Hudak
Speakers: P.A. Cornell, A.J. Super, Amy Sundberg, Christiane Knight
Description: Creative work is taxing on the body, the brain, and the emotions. Join our panelists as they discuss why self-care is crucial for supporting writers, artists, and other creatives, and how to incorporate strategies for self-care into your creative practice.

I have been in the process of essentially overhauling my habits and workplaces to better accommodate my health needs, so I perked up at this panel description because I know I need a lot of self care as I make this transition in my life. This was just a kind and encouraging panel that really made me feel seen and supported.

Key Takeaways:

  • Self care needs to be part of the task list; it’s something you need to plan.
  • Take yourself out on an artist date to recharge and fill the well.
    • Look at something beautiful, get outside in nature, etc.
  • Saying no to good things is also a form of self care when you need to be alone or when your plate is full.

The Long and Short of It: Writing Across Different Word Lengths
Moderator: P.H. Low
Speakers: Jo Miles, A.L. Goldfuss, Lauren C. Teffeau
Description: Tips, tricks, advice, skill share, and anecdotes about writing short stories, novels, and everything in between.

As someone who works on both drabbles and novels, I thought this was very interesting! I never gave much thought to how/why I worked on such different length stories until FoF. I actually suggested this panel to the convention, and I am glad they picked it up, and glad they chose these awesome writers to speak on it.

Key Takeaways:

  • If you can hold the whole story in your head, then it is probably a short story. –Jo Miles
  • Whether it is short or long, it has to be first and foremost a good story.
  • Recommendation to use the MICE Quotient to determine word length for an idea.
  • How to respond to “this should be a novel” feedback:
    • Should it be a novel because it is poorly paced?
    • Or do you just want it to be a novel because the idea is so interesting?

Oh No, I Need a Title!
Moderator: Jo Miles
Speakers: Stephen Granade, Crystal L. Kirkham, Gideon P. Smith
Description: A good title can add extra layers to a story, but how do you come up with one? Is it different for works of different lengths? We’ll share tips and tricks, and we’ll do a title-swap at the end of the session!

It’s me, hi. I hate titling, it’s me. Seriously, it is my least favorite part of writing. I needed all the tips and tricks I could get, and this panel delivered!

Key Takeaways:

  • The title should match the tone/style of the story to both manage reader expectations and attract the right audience.
  • The title of a novel is a marketing tool.
  • The title for a short/micro story is a tool to establish the story and provide information to the reader as well as engage their curiosity.
    • Use a title to establish worldbuilding, character, situation, etc.
  • Google your prospective title to see who/what already has it.

Day 3:

(I didn’t get to attend as much today because I was participating on panels!) 

Quiet Speculative Fiction
Moderator: Risa Wolf
Speakers: Jennifer Hudak, Jenna Hanchey, P.H. Low
Description: The role of soft-voiced, introspective writing in the realm of speculative fiction. Who is publishing these voices? What do they add to the landscape?

I really wanted to attend this panel because it is specifically QUIET fiction, not cozy, not low stakes, not feel-good. Quiet. That distinction makes all the difference, and I really wanted to learn more about this as a genre and get some great recommendations to further my study of it. I think, whether or not you choose to write quiet stories, learning about them is a great way to master character depth and development.

Key Takeaways:

  • Quiet does not (always) mean cozy or positive or uncomplicated or low stakes.
  • While there can be epic, external things happening in a quiet story, the focus is on the internal.
  • A story hook can take many different forms and doesn’t have to be a plot hook.
  • Recommended Essay: “The Exposition Tax” by Suyi Davies Okungbowa
    • Write the stories you want to write for the audience you want to read them.

Tips & Tricks for Writing Novellas
Moderator: Tenacity Plys
Speakers: Clara Madrigano, Sarena Ulibarri, Dave Ring
Description: What it says on the tin: how to write a novella.

I am about to embark on my own novella journey, and I need all the help I can get! I love this format. I think it deserves way more attention and awards and publishing (and money) than it currently gets, so it was great to talk shop and show appreciation for the novella.

Key Takeaways:

  • Novellas might only be able to hold one complex theme.
  • Make the white space in your novella do a lot of work.
    • Have the imaginations of the readers or real life knowledge fill in the gaps in worldbuilding, etc.
  • Novellas have a lot of “why the hell not” energy. -Dave Ring
  • Novella collections can be a thing, like a double feature.
  • When marketing:
    • Just tell your non-writer friends it is a book; they have no idea what a novella is.
    • Skinny spines are hard to display on bookshelves.

And that’s a wrap! I had a great weekend. As always with these types of conventions, I come away having learned so much and am now so inspired and refreshed and ready to dive back into my own creative work. I absolutely loved being on panels this year. If you missed it, I was on Writing Speculative Flash Fiction with Stephen Granade and Kai Delmas and Juggling Multiple Projects with Suyi Davies Okungbowa, A.W. Prihandita, and Marianna Martin. Both sessions were recorded and will be released on Dream Foundry’s YouTube channel sometime in the future.

I cannot sing the praises of FoF and Dream Foundry enough. Please do check them out, donate, volunteer, show your support however you can. They are doing invaluable work for the SFFH community.

Massive thanks to all the folks behind the scenes making the con run, the panelists, moderators, attendees, and everyone who made this convention a positive experience all around. 💛

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