It can only be very loosely called a day off, though. There are no classes, but there are plenty of other optional activities. This year saw the return of Write, Camera, Action! Writers, actors, and directors get together to work on previously selected plays by Swanwick delegates, ready to perform them during the evening. There was also the new Procrastination Free Day, which saw Alexa Radcliffe-Hart lock 15 writers in a room and not let them out except at lunchtime. The feedback seemed to be positive - everyone got a lot done - and I heard several suggestions for how to expand on it for next year to allow more people to take part.
There was also a morning interview with Jon Wood of Orion. For some reason (possibly because he was sandwiched between last night's crime fiction speaker and the police panel) I got the impression this would be crimey, when it turned out to be publishey. I'm quite annoyed I missed it.
After the interview, and an all-important coffee break, was the police panel. This was going to be crimey, so I gave this a miss as well.
I had planned for Tuesday to be a proper day off, so I spent some time napping, reading, failing to write: there's little more demoralising being one of four people in a room, and the other three are all scribbling or clattering away. I also found another amusing sign to photograph.
I had planned to go to Write, Camera, Action! but I was tired (I was still recovering from two weeks of solid training at work) and went to bed early again.