All about the Milford SF Writers' Conference - and how to book.

• Beforehand — Participants must distribute their manuscripts by email at least 2 weeks before the workshop begins, and preferably 4 weeks. This gives people the chance to read MS in advance, reducing the workload during the week itself. You will already have had the week's timetable, setting out when each MS will be discussed.
• Day 1 — Arrive any time. You can get into your room from 4 p.m. onwards, but if you arrive early you can use the library or the common room, or visit the cafe. There's no programme on the first day, just dinner at Gladstone's, and getting to know each other afterwards in the comfy common room.
• Daily Timetable — Breakfast from 8.00 to 9.30. Lunch (optional) is 1.00 . Dinner at 6.30 p.m. (You make your choice from the dinner menu at breakfast.)
• Day 2 - Day 6 — These are the main working days. Mornings are free. Critique sessions are in the afternoons, from 2.00 p.m. until 5.00 p.m.-ish). As a resident you can work in the library any time between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 p.m.
• Day 5 — Milford is legally constituted so that the current 'members' (i.e. this year's attendees) are obliged to hold an AGM and elect officers for the coming year, thus each Milford provides for the next. It takes about half an hour after dinner.
• Day 6 — The evening generally includes a markets session, discussing where the week's pieces could usefully be submitted on completion.
• Day 7 — Usually this is a free day, in which we can visit nearby places of interest, but it's always a fall-back day in case the workload is too heavy and additional critting time has to be scheduled.
• Day 8 — Depart after breakfast. Or you can stick around to write for a few hours as long as you vacate your room by 10 a.m.
• Afterwards — Attendees go on the Milford mail list. Groups often keep in touch. If your story is published please let us know for our Success Stories page.

Preparation

• Our one truly inflexible requirement is that you must send, in advance, one or two pieces of unpublished work for critique. Aim for below 10,000 words in total, but you can run a little over if necessary. 12,000 words is a hard cut-off. Complete stories or novel excerpts are acceptable. Leading and/or trailing synopses must be in your document and included in your word count.
• Works may be any kind of speculative fiction: science fiction, fantasy, horror, or ambiguous genres such as slipstream, alt. history etc. (for adults or children).
• Correct manuscript format isn't necessarily required as long as it's clear and readable. Word docs are the norm, but you can also submit in RTF.
• What to bring. Just yourself and your work. If you haven't been to North Wales in September before, please be aware that the weather can be changeable. Dress is whatever you feel comfortable in. We're not very formal. There are walks around Hawarden village and through the castle grounds (though the castle itself is privately owned).
• There's an honesty bar in the common room. Write what you've had in the book and pay at the end of the week.

Venue

• The total cost of the Milford week in 2025 is £765 for accommodation in a single ensuite room. There is a ceiling of 15 members with a deposit payable on initial booking of £240. This includes your Milford admin fee of £25. You should note that your deposit is non-refundable in the event that you decide to cancel. [See cancellation policy below.]
• The balance of £525 is due to Milford twelve weeks before the event.
• Once the event fills up, there is a waiting list (in case someone drops out) which you can join by filling in the application form and paying the deposit. The Milford treasurer will hold this until the booking is either confirmed or cancelled. If no one drops out and you don't get a place you will get a full refund or you can take a place on the next available Milford and carry your deposit over.

Cancellation - The Small Print Writ Large

• We regret that we can't refund deposits, once paid, if you change your mind, as we pay it forward to the venue.
• We advise Milford attendees to take out cancellation insurance to protect themselves from loss in the case of lost deposits or full fees. PLEASE NOTE IN THE EVENT OF A NATIONAL COVID/PANDEMIC CANCELLATION, DEPOSITS ARE REFUNDABLE OR CAN BE ROLLED ON TO A FUTURE MILFORD.
• Once the balance of payment has been made there is no refund if you don't attend, as once we have booked and paid for your place, we can't get it back from the venue..
• Non-payment of the balance owed 12 weeks before the event might mean you lose your place. Talk to us if you have a problem.

Inclusion and Equal Opportunities - (From our constitution)

• STATEMENT OF INCLUSION. Milford shall be open to all professionally published writers of SF/F, over the age of eighteen and writing in English. Writers under the age of eighteen may attend at the discretion of the committee if accompanied by a parent or guardian or designated responsible adult (with written permission of parent or guardian).
• EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICY. All published writers of SF/F are welcome, regardless of gender, marital status, race, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age, or planet of origin. Milford will always do its very best to select venues with level access for writers with mobility problems and to comply with all the laws of the land regarding physical access.