Summary

• This course is intended to increase your appreciation
  of how crosswords are designed and constructed.
• Insights about themes and clues might also improve your solving abilities.
• Its basic guidance, tools and resources may help,
  especially if you have ever considered constructing puzzles yourself.
• The potential benefits of solving crosswords apply also to constructing crosswords,
  -- analogous perhaps to other areas of creative effort & experience?
• solver -- constructor
• reader -- author
• student -- teacher
• art lover -- artist
• app user -- software designer
• For more of this philosophical approach, peruse my essay: The Art of Crosswords.

• 
  

  (from CROSSWORDS and YOU: Why Do We Solve Puzzles?:)

• Fun; Humor; Distraction; Joy -- Pandemics
• Challenge; Creativity; Problem Solving
• Language Skills; Vocabulary
• General Knowledge; Trivia
• Financial, e.g., Crossword Publisher Rates: NYT, LAT, et al.
• General Health; Cognitive Fitness
• Relationships
• Fame, e.g., Ashland amateur crossword puzzle creator’s work scores in the NYT Oregonian; Janet Eastman; 11/1/2023
• What's So Great About Writing Crosswords, Anyway? DB; 4/5/2021

Focus | Grid Size & Format | Constructors? |
Rules, Conventions | Apps, Dictionaries, Tools | References

Focus

• My introductory CROSSWORDS and YOU course focused on solving crosswords,
  via lecture and group practice; it also highlighted history, showed where to find puzzles,
  and briefly & broadly covered authoring (constructing).
• This course focuses on constructing crosswords
  -- appreciating nuances of themes, grids, fill and clues may help you become a better solver.
  Wanting to construct your own puzzles is not a pre-requisite.
• What other differences in coverage or approach?

Grid Size & Format

• There many possible word puzzle sizes, layouts, languages:
  CROSSWORDS and YOU: Terminology & Types.
• The focus in this course: American, themed daily crosswords, e.g., NYT Mon-Thu.
• American newspaper-style, fully-crossed*, symmetric grids [on right]:
  e.g., New York Times (NYT) Los Angeles Times (LAT),
  Universal (Mail Tribune), Wall Street Journal (WSJ), etc.
  -- not vocabulary-style, free-form, criss-cross word puzzles [top right],
  or British-style cryptics [below right];
  *aka 'fully-checked': each answer square has both an Across and Down clue, i.e., no 1-letter words (usually)
• themed: e.g., NYT:Mon-Thu, Sun
  -- not NYT:Fri-Sat (themeless; hardest! What Makes a Good Themeless Puzzle?)
• 15 x 15 size: e.g., NYT:Mon-Sat -- not NYT:mini 5 x 5 [on right] or NYT:Sun 21 x 21

• 
  

  Note: NYT Sun 21 x 21 ranks in difficulty like ~Wed/Thu NYT
  -- though solving takes longer (~2x more squares: 441 vs. 225);
  constructing larger grids is more challenging: more theme entries, even higher quality fill & clues, etc.

• "A 78-word 15x15 typically has an average word length of ~4.8-5.0 letters?
  A 72-word 15x15 themeless is probably around 5.5-5.6 letters
  and a 140-word 21x21 themed is often like 5.3" ~Evan Birnholz on Crosscord(Discord)

Who Can Be A Constructor?

• In the past, typically old white guys. ;-)
• Now (increasingly), anyone with great ideas, new perspective -- and the right skills/tools.
• Will Shortz: "In the 90s, my sense is that the average age of constructors
  [who submitted puzzles] was in the early 50s. Now it’s in the mid-30s."
• What's come of this trend is a positive feedback loop of young constructors
  attracting young solvers who in turn become young constructors.
• The catalysts for this are many: the ease of access to puzzles online;
• software that makes puzzle construction more fun and less daunting;
• an increase in social networking and collaboration among both setters
  and solvers (as on XWordInfo.com and Cruciverb.com);
• Deb Amlen’s Wordplay column, whose goal is to "help those intimidated
  by the NYT crossword get over their fear of the puzzle."
• even the rise of diverse, indie crossword communities all over the country
  focused on those historically underrepresented in puzzledom
  -- the LGBTQ+ community, female constructors, and people of color.
• source: Smithsonian: How Crosswords Came of Age in the 2010s
• "Of the 28 puzzles I’ve had published in The New York Times, 21 of them have been collaborations.
  I've shared a Times byline with 15 different constructors. While I do enjoy working on puzzles on my own,
  there's something special about the collaborative process. It makes the puzzle more memorable,
  and it inspires me to put out my best work. While I might end up setting aside a puzzle
  I’m working on alone, a collaborator keeps me motivated to take a puzzle across the finish line.
  
  Each person I’ve worked with has taught me something new, whether they are more or less experienced than I am.
  In my first collaboration with Matthew, which was published in the Crosswords Club, Matthew showed me how to make a
  shared Google spreadsheet for writing clues in a more collaborative way. I’ve used this format for every puzzle since!
  
  Collaborators have made me question the vocabulary I use in a grid, or what is considered too 'crosswordy.'
  They've made me more comfortable with ripping up an entire grid and writing multiple clues to choose from
  for a single entry. Two heads are better than one when it comes to coming up with funny theme entries.
  If you're interested in crossword construction, I’d highly recommend teaming up with someone
  more experienced than yourself; you will definitely learn something — and they probably will, too."
  ~Christina Iverson, Easy Mode newsletter, 4/26/2024

Rules / Conventions

• When creating free-form or crossword puzzles for yourself or friends,
  you can choose any words, grid size, layout, clues, etc.
• The focus in this course: follow the 'rules' that solvers & publishers expect, e.g., symmetry, word choice, ...:
• Publisher Specs/Submission Guidelines: NYT, LAT, Univ., WSJ, etc.
• Cruciverb.com: basic rules
• NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle: The Series: Parts 1-5
• Wikipedia: NYT: Style and conventions
• XWordInfo.com
• Margaret Farrar: Contributions and Accomplishments
• "Learn the rules... so you know how to break them properly." ~Dalai Lama
• Rules can sometimes be broken -- there's more latitude with an exceptional puzzle and a great justification.
• Following the rules doesn't guarantee a good crossword, e.g., The World's Worst Crossword
• We'll cover many of these conventions in upcoming sections: Themes; Grid; Fill; Clues; Publish

Apps / Dictionaries / Tools

• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Authoring surveyed methods used by constructors:
• paper: e.g., WordPlay documentary
• web sites/apps: e.g., Armored Penguin (free-form only); Crosserville, Crosshare, PuzzleMe
• applications: e.g., CrossFire, Crossword Compiler
• The focus in this course: CrossFire application, with add-on dictionaries
  to construct 15 x 15 themed crosswords, with in-depth examples.
• next sections: Overview of Process; Tools; Formats

References

• How a Crossword Puzzle Gets Made video: 3:32; Mike Vuolo; Slate; 11/12/2014
• NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle: The Series
  Part 1: Theme; 2: Grid; 3: Fill; 4: Clues; 5: Publish; Resources
• Crossword Constructor's Handbook by Patrick Berry; $10; e-book (.pdf) 89 pp.,
  plus 70 sample puzzles; originally published as Crossword Puzzle Challenges for Dummies, 2004
• The Art of Crossword Construction William Johnston; .pdf; 7pp.; free; 1/26/2010
• How Crossword Puzzles Are Really Made Matt Gaffney; MF; 9/10/2014
• Themed Puzzle Construction Christoper Adams; .pdf, 8 pp., free; puzzle, 2/2018
• Walkthrough: Making a Puzzle with CrossFire theme, grid, fill, clues, publish
• How-to videos (YouTube, Twitch): Erik Agard; Alex Boisvert (Crossword Nexus);
  Will Eisenberg; Sid Sivakumar; Ross Trudeau and Amanda Rafkin; Brian Thomas;
  Six-part video series from The New Yorker; Crossword Jargon Glossary
• cruciverb: Crossword Constructors Community Center
• XWord Info: New York Times Crossword Answers and Insights
• Atlas Obscura: Creating Crossword Puzzles course; Brooke Husic & Natan Last; $70
• CROSSWORDS and YOU (course); Authoring: Introduction, References

Why? | Types | Process, Conventions | Guidelines | Examples | Fresh?

Why?

• "Discovering a crossword's theme is... often half the fun of solving. And once you nail one answer
  in a puzzle's theme, figuring out the other long answers is usually much easier." ~Will Shortz
• "Crosswords, like any art,... should reflect life." ~Will Shortz
• Themes are often playful, and add another layer of depth to solve: a puzzle within a puzzle
• With consistent theme entries, figuring out one or two can help the solver solve the other theme entries.

Theme Types

• Wikipedia: "Many American crossword puzzles contain a 'theme' consisting of a number
  of long entries (generally 3-5 in a standard 15x15-square 'weekday'-size puzzle)
  that share some relationship, type of pun, or other element in common.
• Examples:
• Category theme: theme elements are all members of the same set
• e.g., five themed entries ending in the different parts of a tree: (NYT 4/26/2005)
  SQUARE ROOT, TABLE LEAF, WARDROBE TRUNK, BRAIN STEM, BANK BRANCH
• Quote themes, featuring a famous quote broken up into parts
  to fit in the grid (and usually clued as 'Quote, part 1',...);
• Rebus themes, where multiple letters or even symbols
  occupy a single square in the puzzle (e.g., BERMUDA Δ);
• Addition themes, where theme entries are created by adding
  a letter, letters, or word(s) to an existing word or phrase.
• e.g., "Crucial pool shot?" = CRITICAL MASSE
  (formed by taking the phrase "critical mass" and adding an "e" on the end.
  All the theme entries in a given puzzle must be formed by the same process
  (so another entry might be "Greco-Roman buddy?" = WRESTLING MATE
  -- "wrestling mat" with an "e" added on). An example of a multiple-letter
  addition (and one that does not occur at the end of the entry) might be
  "Crazy about kitchen storage?" = CABINET FEVER (derived from "cabin fever");
• Subtraction themes, the reverse of the above,
  where letters are removed to make a new word or phrase;
• Compound themes, where the starts or ends of the
  theme entries can all precede or follow another word,
  which is given elsewhere in the puzzle.
• e.g., a puzzle with theme entries that begin with
  PAPER, BALL, and WATER and elsewhere in the puzzle,
  the word BOY clued as "Word that can follow the start of [theme entries]";
• Anniversary or tribute themes, commemorating a specific person, place, or event.
• e.g., the NYT 10/7/2011 crossword commemorated the life of
  Apple CEO Steve Jobs who had died on October 5. Theme entries related to Jobs' life included
  MACINTOSH, PIXAR, THINK DIFFERENT, CREATIVE GENIUS, STEVE JOBS, and APPLE.
• Synonym themes, where the theme entries all contain synonyms
• e.g., a Los Angeles Times puzzle featuring a set of theme entries that contain
  the words RAVEN, JET, EBONY, and SABLE, all synonyms for "black"
• Numerous other types have been identified, including spoonerisms, poems,
  shifted letters, rhyming phrases, puns, homophones, and
  combinations of two or more of other types of themes."
• cruciverb.com: List of theme categories and examples: Additions; Alliterations;
  Anagram / Scramble; Antonyms; Bookends; Category Members; Combined Types;
  Complete The Clue; Compounds; Containers (hidden); Definitions; Deletions;
  Designated Squares; Direction change; Double/Triple Letters; Featured Letter(s);
  Grid design; Holidays and Special Occasions; Homophones; Jokes / Riddles;
  Language / Accent; Mini theme; Pairs / Triplets / nTuplets; Palindromes; Positional;
  Proper Name Play; Punchlines; Puns; Quips and Quotes; Rebus; Redivision; Repetition;
  Reversals; Rhyme; Sequence; Shared Centers; Shared Initials; Shift; Spoonerisms;
  Stacked 15s; String / Chain; Substitutions; Switch; Synonyms; Tribute; 4Verse
• "Meta" crosswords were around long before FaceBook discovered and co-opted the term.
• "Crossword metapuzzles are crosswords that, when correctly solved,
  provide the basis for a second puzzle." ~ Wikipedia: Metapuzzle
• "Meta puzzles (also sometimes called contest puzzles) are crossword puzzles with an extra challenge.
  First, the grid is filled out like any other crossword puzzle.
  Afterwards, there is a prompt asking the solver for the solution to the meta.
  The prompt might ask for a 5-letter word, or for a word in a specific category, or anything else!
  To figure out the solution the solver needs to look for hints in the puzzle's clues, entries, grid layout,
  title, or anywhere else a devious constructor might have hidden them." ~Crosshare
• See section: CROSSWORDS: Terminology & Types: meta

Process / Conventions

• “Do you come up with the clues or the answers first?
  When constructing a themed crossword, puzzle makers usually tackle the theme itself first.
  They usually have a handful of “theme entries” with clues in mind, and they place those entries
  in an empty grid. The constructor then strategically places the black squares. Most constructors
  these days use software and curated word lists to help them fill the rest of the grid.
  
  For a themeless puzzle, like those we publish on Fridays and Saturdays, constructors start
  with an empty canvas. There are many methods for constructing this type of puzzle;
  some people already have a punny clue in mind for an entry and want to feature that
  clue-and-answer pairing. Some puzzle makers begin with an empty grid with a design they
  particularly like and just take what comes. Others might start with a stack of entries that work
  well together because of vowel and consonant patterns and build the grid around an entire stack.
  
  Generally speaking, clues are the last step of the process except for the occasional clue
  that comes to mind while you’re filling a grid. When I’m constructing a themeless puzzle,
  I put some thought into how easy it will be to write a clue for an entry but typically don’t
  write down any clues until the grid is complete. The grid evolves quite a lot during the
  construction process, so many entries that start out in the grid are replaced in the end."
  ~Christina Iverson, Wordplay newsletter, 11/10/2023
• "How do you plan a crossword with a particular theme without getting lost in the fillers?
  When I first started solving crosswords, I was a little baffled by the idea of a theme.
  I felt like if there was a theme, all the words in the grid should pertain to it. I quickly
  realized how impossible this would be for a Times crossword. It’s hard enough to get around
  70 words to cross one another in a 15x15 grid, much less words that are all somehow related.
  
  When constructors make themed puzzles, they start by coming up with the theme set, usually
  four or five phrases that are connected. The theme answers are typically the longest Across
  entries and are placed symmetrically in the grid. That means they usually come in pairs,
  but sometimes there’s an unpaired entry in the center of the grid.
  
  These conventions of theme placement exist to help solvers more easily uncover the theme.
  Sometimes we have additional ways of drawing solvers' attention to theme clues, such as
  asterisks or italics. These are especially useful when the theme entries are on the
  shorter side, or when there are other long entries in the grid.
  
  Entries that aren't thematic are called the fill of the grid. When editors review puzzles
  and like a theme, we often say, 'Should we check the fill?' Most of the fill consists
  of relatively short entries, but we like to see fun longer Down entries. These long,
  nonthematic entries are sometimes referred to as bonus entries or bonus fill because
  they add a little more color and life to the puzzle. Because they run vertically,
  they’re less distracting to solvers than long answers that run parallel to theme entries.
  The theme of a well-made puzzle leaves the solver with an 'aha!' and not a 'Huh?'"
  ~Christina Iverson, Easy Mode newsletter, 4/19/2024
• Generate prioritized list of possible phrases/words
• How to find initial theme entry? Reading, noticing, listening, ...
• How to find other theme possibilities? How are they similar?
  e.g., match a pattern (?*) in online dictionaries, e.g.: XWordInfo.com/Finder, OneLook.com
• # theme entries: 4-5? total theme letters/squares: 40-50? -- for 15 x 15
• Why the LA Times Won't Accept Your Three-Entry Theme
  (and Why You Should Make the Puzzle Anyways) 8/11/2021
• Generally, theme entries are the longest entries, paired by length; minimum 40 letters total
• If the entries contain a natural sequence, editors might expect them to occur in that order from top to bottom.
• Draft initial clues to ensure consistency of the theme entries.
• Option: place additional (unmatched) odd-length theme entry in center?
• Option: use a 'payoff' or 'reveal' entry (often last, or sometimes center entry)
  -- and/or a title -- to explain/suggest the theme?

Guidelines

• Some publishers allow a query containing only theme entries and clues for (hopefully) early feedback;
  with encouragement, continue with your efforts for a full puzzle; with rejection, rework or discard theme.
• Check Crossword Publication Specs for guidance, e.g.
• NYT: "Themes should be fresh, interesting, narrowly defined and consistently applied throughout the puzzle.
  For example, if the theme includes a particular kind of pun, then all the puns should be of that kind.
  Themes and theme entries should be accessible to everyone.
  We generally prefer puzzles with playful themes rather than straightforward subjects."
• LAT: "consistent and narrowly defined; We do not have titles on our daily puzzles, so the themes
  must be self-evident or tied together with an in-grid entry that acts as a reveal to sum up the gimmick.
  Puzzles should have at least 40 theme squares; four or more theme entries is ideal,
  but three 15s may be acceptable."
• WSJ: "entertaining theme, tightly defined and consistently executed"
• Univ.: "All Universal Crossword themes should have some element of wordplay.
  Every theme should also have a reason for doing what it’s doing.
  This reason should be described by either a title, a revealer, or both.
  For a 15x15, longer theme answers are preferred, but 7 letters is the standard minimum length.
  For a 21x21, it’s preferable for some answers to be 16+-letters long.
  Most of our 15x15s have 4-5 theme answers, and most of our 21x21s have 6-9 theme answers.
  Puzzles with fewer theme answers should have longer ones.
  21x21 puzzles have to entertain solvers for longer,
  so a theme we like as a 15x15 may not be as exciting to us as a 21x21.
  More specifically, if the joke starts feeling stale after a few examples or only a few
  of the examples are really solid, then we’d probably prefer the theme as a daily.
  Themes should be executed consistently, and none of the theme answers should feel like outliers.
  
  Here are some examples of what we mean:
  Do not mix add-a-letter and change-a-letter theme answers (e.g., BRAIN SHOWER and MIND SWEEPER,
  where the former adds the letter “b” and the latter changes an “e” to a “d”).
  For a theme based on word pronunciations, be mindful of consistency of both sound and spelling.
  For example, if a theme adds the letters PI to each theme answer and hinges around words
  being pronounced like “pie,” there shouldn’t be any examples where the PI is pronounced like “pea.”
  For puzzles whose theme answers hide words or anagrams,
  we prefer when those words are 4+-letters long and span word breaks.
  For bookend themes, we also prefer when the words are 4+-letters long,
  and we also like it when the bookended words can only split in one way.
  Yes: AIRPLANE TICKET hides the long word “planet” across a word break.
  Yes: PHILOSOPHERS STONE has the word “phone” as a bookend.
  No: BRAINWASH hides the word “rain,” but it isn’t across a word break.
  No: START A WAR has the word “star” as a bookend, but “star” is also hidden straight in the answer
  STAND CLEAR has the word “star” as a bookend but “star” can be split in more ways than one.
  This is not always a dealbreaker, but it’s unideal.
  For themes where all theme answers start or end with a synonym for something,
  we want the synonyms to change meaning and be separate words within their theme answers.
  For example, if all the theme answers start with animals, we’d be more excited by the
  theme answer BEAR DOWN ON than we would about BEAR SPRAY.
  
  Themes types that are accepted sparingly:
  “Words that precede or follow X” puzzles (e.g. a puzzle with the reveal BEFOREHAND
  and theme answers like FIRST IMPRESSION and BACK TO THE FUTURE,
  where “first” and “back” can precede “hand” [firsthand and backhand]), unless there’s an additional twist
  Puzzles where every theme answer hides the same word
  List puzzles (e.g., a puzzle whose theme answers are all songs by a certain artist)
  Quote/quip puzzles where a quote is broken up across a handful of theme answers
  Trivia/tribute puzzles that lack an additional layer of wordplay
  Mashup puzzles (e.g., a puzzle with theme answers like BRAINWASHING MACHINE [brainwashing + washing machine])
  Add-a-single-letter/delete-a-single-letter puzzles, unless there’s an additional twist
  Puzzles whose theme answers are nonsensical (e.g., a puzzle with the reveal SKIP A BEAT
  and theme answers like RIX POTTER [where “beat” was deleted from Beatrix Potter])
  “Reverse clue” puzzles whose theme answers aren’t legitimate phrases
  (e.g., a puzzle with theme answers like INTERSECTION SIGN and ORGAN FEATURE, both clued as [Stop])
  Puzzles whose theme answers/clues are either hard to imagine or grammatically unsound.
  This usually applies to puns (e.g., BLUE OUT THE CANDLES, which doesn’t have a cogent cluing angle).
  Themes that scatter circles throughout theme answers (non-consecutive circled letters
  that aren’t bookends) usually aren’t a good fit for Universal"
• Cruciverb: Advice on Making 21 x 21 Puzzles
  Get theme approval from an editor before tackling a grid design or fill.
  21 x 21's are way too difficult to do on spec.
  Bare minimum: 80 theme squares (8 10-letter entries).
  If your entries are all very long (16-21), 5 entries may be enough.
  If most of your theme entries are shorter (say 9-12 letters)
  you want at least 8 entries--I often try for 9.
  When I have several pairs of entries that are 15 letters or longer,
  I sometimes settle for 7 entries or even 6.
  Avoid a single central entry of 17 or 19 letters
• Theme placement coverered in Grid section.

Examples

• NYT series: How to Make a Crossword; 9/2018; PUZZLEPIECE [below]
• LAT; 10/17/2019; PUZZLEPIECE [below]
• WSJ; 9/23/2021; PUZZLE PIECES [below]
• Univ; 4/28/2021; PUZZLE PIECES [below]
• NYT article: How to Solve The New York Times Crossword; 11/2017; several examples [below]
• NYT: Reagle; 5/31/2005; WORDPLAY [below]
• Berry: Crossword Constructor's Handbook (CCH) [subsection; ~24 examples]
• Boisvert: Angels and Demons [below]
• Gaffney MENTALFLOSS [below]
• Johnston [subsection: 24 examples]
• Vuolo from Slate video [below]
• Misc.
• CROSSWORDS: Discover Theme: examples -- from NYT, Reagle, etc.,
  some w/ links to blog dicussions: Mon (=2); Tue (=6); Wed (=9); Thu (=11); Sun (=38)
• Steve's Examples (subsection below)

Example: NYT (Constructing Article)

• source: NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle, Part 1: Developing the Theme;
  How do puzzle makers get started?
  Keeping an Eye Out for Ideas; Back to the Drawing Board;
  Never Give Up; Now We’re Cooking; Use the Resources, Luke
• toy phrases? e.g., TRIXIE MATTEL
• crosswords? puzzles? PUZZLE PIECE
• types of music? PIECE, RECORD, TRACK, NUMBER, SONG?
• theme [category]: phrase with person and type of song? entries, with =length & draft clues
• PUZZLE PIECE=11: Crossword enthusiast’s favorite song?
• TENURE TRACK=11: Professor’s favorite song?
• CALL NUMBER=10: Telemarketer’s favorite song?
• MACBOOK AIR=10: Genius Bar staffer’s favorite song?
• Note how the theme entries are paired in length,
  and clues are parallel in structure, mirroring sequence of theme entry.

Example: LAT

• source: LAT, Thu, 10/17/2019; blogs: crosswordfiend.com, crosswordcorner.blogspot.com, laxcrossword.com
• theme [category]: phrase with topic and type of magazine article
• PUZZLE PIECE=11: Article about crosswords?
  -- note: same entry as NYT example above, but LAT 'piece' is an article instead of a song
• GREEK COLUMN=11: Article about a European language?
• SAFETY FEATURE=13: Article about life jackets?
• ICE CREAM SCOOP=13: Article about a dessert?
• Note how the clues are parallel in structure, but not mirrored,
  e.g., clue first word: "Article" refers to theme last word.

Example: WSJ

• source: WSJ, Thu, 9/23/2021; blogs: crosswordfiend.com
• title: PUZZLE PIECES
• a different interpretation of the phrase, i.e., "puzzle" synonyms, in pieces -- entries span across blocks
• USURP ROB LEMME; YEMENI GMAJOR; POSTUM PERMIT; GRECO NUN DRUMS
• reveal: TOUGH NUT TO CRACK

Example: Universal

• source: Univ, Thu, 4/28/2021; blogs: crosswordfiend.com
• title: PUZZLE PIECES
• a different interpretation of the phrase, i.e., parts of a crossword
• OFF THE GRID; HAVE YOUR FILL; HEDWIG’S THEME; BLUES CLUES
• reveal: CROSSWORD SOLVER

Is the Theme Unique -- or 'Fresh'?

• If you're planning to submit the crossword to a publisher,
  it's important early in the process to find out if the theme has already appeared elsewhere
  (this is not an issue when creating crosswords just for fun, friends or family).
• The 3 first examples NYT, LAT and WSJ all used a "PUZZLE PIECE" theme
  and even shared the same "reveal" entry or title,
  but the idea, entries and clues were different, i.e., "pieces" = music, articles, fragments.
• However, if the other entries are almost exactly the same or share the same theme idea,
  a publisher is likely to reject the submission as not fresh enough.
• With increasingly more crossword venues and imaginative constructors,
  it can be challenging to come up with new themes or interpretations of a theme.
• A later section revisits this issue, with other examples,
  and offers tips for identifying existing puzzle themes.

Example: NYT (Solving Article)

• source: How to Solve The New York Times Crossword:
  Bonus: Crossword Themes NYT; 11/2017
• NYT, Mon, 4/11/2016 [category: stone types, decreasing size];
  .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com, wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com, crosswordfiend.com
• BOULDER DAM=10: Colorado River landmark dedicated by F.D.R.
• ROCK LOBSTER=11: Novelty B-52's song with the lyric 'Watch out for that piranha'
• PEBBLE BEACH=11: California locale of several golf U.S. Opens
• DUST JACKET=10: One covering a big story?
• NYT, Tue, 5/8/2020 [addition: S => SH on last phrase word];
  .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com, wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com, crosswordfiend.com
• BEST SHELLER=11: Winner of a pea-preparing contest?
• PICK UP SHTICKS=13: Lotharios' lines in a singles bar?
• ALL DAY SHUCKER=13: One preparing corn for long hours?
• MARRY IN SHAM=11: Phony wedding?
• NYT, Sun, 10/18/2009; [commemorative: Guggenheim Museum 50th anniv.];
  .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com, wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com;
  black squares imitate the spiral shape of the halls of the Guggenheim Museum,
  and works of art that hang in the museum can be found throughout the puzzle by artist name,
  along with the name of the museum and other bonus theme content.
• NYT, Sat, 4/1/2006; themeless ['grid feature']; .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com

Example: NYT (Reagle)

• source: NYT, Tue, 5/31/2005 by Merl Reagle; .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com
• listed in Will Shortz Picks His Favorite Puzzles
• featured in WordPlay documentary:
  Merl enters theme entries on paper: @0:16:12
• [hidden]: phrases including: "WORD" or "PLAY" (but in different context)
• PLAYA DEL REY=11
• TOP LAYERS=9
• WORD PLAY (hidden words) =2*4 or =9 (w/ block) [odd]
• NEW ORDERS=9
• CROSS SWORDS=11 -- bonus: 'CROSSWORDS' w/ extra S in center!

Example: Vuolo

• source: How a Crossword Puzzle Gets Made video 3:32; Mike Vuolo; Slate; 11/12/2014
• NYT, Mon, 8/16/1999 ['oldies'?]: @1:05; .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com
• YESTERDAY'S NEWS=14: It's old
• A THING OF THE PAST=14: It's very old
• ANCIENT HISTORY=14: It's very, very old
• NYT, Thu, 12/18/2008: ['spies'?] @1:36; .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com, wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com
• UNDERCOVER AGENT=15: Keeper of confidential information
• SWORN TO SECRECY=14: Like a keeper of confidential information
• IF I TOLD YOU THEN=14: 46A: With 60-Across, what a keeper of confidential information might say
• I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU=15: 60A: See 46-Across
• NYT, Tue, 1/13/2004: ['movie credits'?] @1:58; .puz $; blogs: xwordinfo.com
• MALCOLM MCDOWELL=15: Star of 59-Across
• STANLEY KUBRICK=14: Director of 59-Across
• BEETHOVEN'S NINTH=15: Music featured in 59-Across
• ANTHONY BURGESS=14: Author of 59-Across
• CLOCKWORK ORANGE=15: 59A: Theme of this puzzle, with "A"

Example: Gaffney

• source: How Crossword Puzzles Are Really Made Matt Gaffney; MF; 9/10/2014
• "We Interrupt this Broadcast" [hidden]: two-word phrases bridged by a one-word TV show title
• MENTAL FLOSS=10; JOEL OSTEEN=11; ALABAMA SHAKES=13; LIVE EPISODE=11; SWING STATE=10

Example: Boisvert

• source: How to construct a crossword puzzle for the New York Times
  Alex Boisvert, Crossword Nexus; video: 9:44; theme: @1:25; 4/23/2013;
• [quote] (by Dmitri Martin) ?
• I REMEMBER WHEN=13; I USED TO REALLY BE=15; INTO NOSTALGIA=13
• "Angels and Demons" [hidden] -- ANGEL or DEMON
• initial: BRANGELINA=10; MAYA ANGELOU=11; PANDEMONIUM=11; CODE MONKEY=10
• TANGELO TREE=11; STRANGELY=9; ANGELS AND DEMONS=15; DESDEMONA=9; CLAUDE MONET=11
• Berry's CCH example "Possessed" (#20) uses hidden DEMON too:
  CLAUDE MONET=11; MADE MONEY=9; SIMON DE MONTFORT=15; DESDEMONA=9; PANDEMONIUM=11

Examples: Misc.

• Alex Bajcz: How do you write a themed crossword? punny phrases:
  BRITISH AISLES=13; OUT OF HOUR HANDS=14; WRITE OF PASSAGE=14; KNOT FOR PROFIT=13
• How To Create Your Very Own Crossword Puzzle [America's Cutest Antebellum Presidents]
  MILLARD FILLMORE=15; ZACHARY TAYLOR=13; ANDREW JACKSON=13; JOHN QUINCY ADAMS=15;
  Caprera; McSweeneys; 3/15/2019
• CrossDown theme: computer terms, defined using wacky puns;
  HARD DRIVE=9: Tough job for a trucker?; MICROCHIP=9: Snack food for an amoebae?;
  SELF SERVE=9; DIRECTORY=9; INTERNET=8; MOUSEPAD=8; MONITOR LIZARD=13
• CrossFire Walkthrough;
  title: "Elementary"; theme: first word of compound or phrase is an ancient element: Earth, Fire, Air, Water;
  EARTHQUAKE=10; FIRE HYDRANT=11; AIR MATTRESS=11; WATERMELON=10
• David Kwong: How to Create a Crossword Puzzle video: 11:27; 12/10/2018
  Playing Cards: TEN, JACK, QUEEN, KING, ACE embedded
• Blake Slonecker: Gridlock: An Introduction to Crossword Construction video: 56:40; 9/22/2020
  LAT 5/7/2020: "MIXEDGREENS";
  WSJ 12/31/2019: "A Sign of the Times (Square)"
  Univ. 8/10/2020: "Spill the T";
  WSJ 8/15/2019: "Sounding Board"

Examples: Steve (alphabetical)

• Candidates [politics, with designated squares (2nd theme)]
• Carnivore for Congress [meaty campaign phrases]
• Crucigramitas [Spanish]; 5 x 5
• Diet Delights [doubled sweet treat phrases (w/ subtraction)]
• Hoppy Grand Opening: [tribute; beer]; 17 x 17; discussion; Single Hill Brewing Co.
• Miss Calculation [punny math phrases]
• Newton (MessagePad): 1993-1998 (memories), 1998- (lives on); [anniversary]
• Not Stroganoff. Try Again [weak passwords]; for OLLI Course: P@s$w0rdz
• OLLI: schoOLLIfe; [designated squares; anagram]; -- major subsection ahead;
  OLLI OLLI Oxen Free [same theme; students in 1st construction class]
• On the Trail of an Ashland Watershed Creature
  [trails named for creatures -- real or fictional]
• Open Sesame [passwords]; for OLLI Course: P@s$w0rdz
• Ow! [addition]
• Peak Brewing [several lofty breweries]
• Red Crossword for OLLI Course: Disaster Preparedness
• Tot TNT [big bangs]
• A TrIPArtite Brew [tribute; beer]
• Under Construction [crossword construction process sequence; on right] for this OLLI Course: Constructing Crosswords

Is the Theme Fresh?

• As mentioned earlier, crossword editors prefer new themes.
  Unlike movie producers, they often reject remakes.
• You could provide different fill words and clues to avoid actual plagiarism, or consider submitting to a different publication,
  but you'll probably have a better chance with a different theme.
• There is no public puzzle database available to search, nor an index of theme 'ideas'.
  However, there are several places to check where (and usually when) entries have already appeared.
  If you have a reveal entry, is it used as a reveal entry elsewhere?
  Do several of your theme entries occur in the same existing puzzle?
• cluer database app (app): free; many sources; year only; no longer updated
• crosserville.com > Theme Search free account
• crosswordtracker.com > Search: free; many sources; full date
• cruciverb.com > Answer Search $; many sources; no year/date
• xd.saul.pw Saul Pwanson's clue database updated regularly vs. cluer (5/2023); xd-clues.zip
• xwordinfo.com (NYT only; full date):
  Finder ($): answer entry/pattern (?*) -> matching entries & clues;
  Clue Search (free): clue word(s) -> entire clues & corresp. answer entries
• Some indexes may omit non-standard theme entries, e.g., invented phrases;
  you could of course use a general search engine, though it can be difficult to sift through the results.
• Try to locate the actual earlier puzzle or solution to understand its theme in context
  -- this is easier for more recent, major puzzles:
  e.g., NYT Archive, xwordinfo.com, crosswordfiend.com, Sources: Web Sites
• Several puzzle themes that I was considering before I discovered they were not novel:
• That's a Wrap: end of movie filming, plastic covering, fur coat, lunch rollup, gift paper, serape...
• LAT, Fri, 6/21/2019: crosswordfiend.com,crosswordcorner.blogspot.com, laxcrossword.com:
  GIFT BOX COVERING; TERRY CLOTH ROBE; ROLLED SANDWICH;
  END OF A FILM SHOOT -- all clued: "That's a wrap"
• Disappearing Act: theme entries, with 'ACT' removed.
• NYT, Thu, 8/16/2001: xwordinfo.com:
  GO WHERE THE (ACT)ION IS; PR(ACT)ICING CATHOLIC;
  HIGH IMP(ACT) AEROBICS; DISAPPEARING ACT
• Spice Girls: actresses with spicy first names (and my draft clues), e.g.,
  GINGER GRANT (Tina Louise in Gilligan's Island),
  CINNAMON CARTER (Barbara Bain in Mission Impossible),
  LAVENDER BROWN (Jessie Cave in several Harry Potter films),
  PEPPER ANDERSON (Angie Dickinson in Police Woman),
  SPICE LADIES (Group of seasoned female roles, e.g., ...)
• NYT, Fri, 11/19/1993: xwordinfo.com:
  GINGER GRANT; CINNAMON CARTER; PEPPER ANDERSON;
  also: LAT 8/2/2005 (included BASIL FAWLTY)
• The Fall 2022 Constructing Crosswords class used this as an example,
  to explore different theme selection & placement, grid layout, fill and clues: Seasoned Rolls puzzles.
• Where's Waldo?: 'WALDO' embedded or scrambled in entries.
• NYT, Mon, 2/9/2015: xwordinfo.com: SUPERBOWL AD; COLD WATER; MEADOWLANDS;
  SLOW DANCE; WHERES WALDO; and maybe Univ. 4/14/2001
• Finding Nemo: e.g., 'NEMO' embedded in entries, e.g., SEA ANEMONE; AIRPLANE MODE
• NYT, Mon, 8/15/2002: xwordinfo.com: UNEMOTIONAL; MNEMONIC DEVICES; OPPORTUNE MOMENT;
  FINDING NEMO (2003 animated film- - with a hint to 17-, 32- and 41-Across)
• and maybe: Puzzle Society 8/30/2018 ("2003 Pixar film, or a word search challenge for after you find...");
  'Ind' 2013 ("2003 Movie that's going to get a sequel in 2015, or what you'll be doing in each of this puzzle's long entries")
• Climate Change: 'CLIMATE' scrambled in entries.
• NYT, Wed, 3/30/2016: xwordinfo.com: CHEMICAL TESTING; MEAL TICKET; DIRECT MAIL; SATELLITE CAMPUS;
  CLIMATE CHANGE ("Environmentalist's concern ... or a hint to the circled letters")
• Univ. Tue, 3/31/2020 crosswordfiend.com: LOCAL TIME; ZONE, MEAL TICKET; EMBLEMATIC;
  CLIMATE CHANGE ("Presidential debate topic, or a hint to the circled letters")
• Reagle, Sun, 6/21/2015; title: "Hot Topic";
  WITHOUT MALICE; DELICATE MATTER; LOCAL TIME; HERMETICALLY;
  MEAL TICKETS; PROBLEMATIC; CHEMICAL TEST; INTEL IMAC; FROM HELL IT CAME;
  CLIMATE CHANGE ("What the gray squares in the grid literally illustrate")
• Ashland.news, 4/19/2024; Rogue Climate #01
• Great minds think alike and you might still end up with a similar theme set and grid design, e.g.,
• It Themes Somehow Familiar
  how could two crossword constructors come up with puzzles that are almost exactly alike?
  BRAVE NEW WORLD, INTRAVENOUS DRIP, CONTRAVENE, COBRA VENOM; Slate/ 11/27/2009
• Once you have a set of satisfactory, consistent, and (mostly) unique theme entries, proceed to creating a Grid.

Approaches | Rules | Process | References

Approaches

• Crosswords' basic appeal? “My theory is that it's because of... their interlocking nature.
  Unlike a lot of other kinds of puzzles, every answer you get helps you get the next one.” ~Merl Reagle
• Blank: new empty grid; place theme entries; add blocks (dark squares) as needed
  -- approach recommended by NYT, Berry; or if you're creating a distinctive pattern.
• Choose: an existing grid pattern from a library, usually based on theme entry lengths
• crosserville.com > Grid Search free account; shows # of 3 letter (and other length) words;
  File > Export Puzzle > Across Lite text format (most compatible) in order to import grid into another tool
• Crossword Compiler app $
• cruciverb.com $
• xwordinfo.com: Most common Shortz-Era & all-time grid patterns;
  Grids with the fewest blocks and most blocks;
  Most wide open grids; Answers that float outside the grid;
  Connect the dots on grids; Record stacks and some notable 15s
  Grids with unchecked squares; Oddly shaped or sized grids;
  Unusual symmetry and asymmetry; Grid art; 'Interesting' visual elements;
  Grids with no short answers or with very short answers, etc.
• OnlineCrosswords.net 12 x 12 - 23 x 23
• ugleh.com > Grid Search enter a grid pattern, search for existing variations currently NYT-only

• 
  

  Modify (for both Blank and Choose) : after entering theme entries, add/move blocks for esthetics, fill, etc.

• From a distance, many typical grids have subareas segmented by:
• "fingers" from edges, i.e., columns and/or rows of several blocks,
  and parallel diagonal "steps" [on right]
• Perhaps create grid patterns with embedded shapes
  e.g., "Utah": 5 black squares that are shaped like the state.
  If you put an 11-letter answer at the center of a 15x15 grid,
  you will probably need a Utah at either end. e.g., NYT 3/27/2015
• Welcome to Utahs Newsday; 2/18/2022
• Several tools allow you to flip or transpose a grid, i.e., rotate 90° so that Across entries go Down and vice versa:
  Crosserville: Grid > Flip Grid
  PuzzleMe: Edit grid & clues > Grid > Transpose grid

Rules

• There are a number of conventions and constraints to consider -- first 3 started in the 1920s:
• Fully-crossed: e.g., each (checked) letter appears in both an Across and Down clue.
• Blocks: ~1/6 of total squares; 15 x 15: max 38; themeless: fewer; Sunday: ~74 (55-84)?
• Grid symmetry: e.g., rotational 180° symmetry (a tool can easily preserve).
• Word length: minimum 3 letters -- no unchecked squares or 2-letter words (a tool can notify).
• 3-letter entries: 15 x 15: < ~20
• Rarely, uncrossed squares or 2-letter words might be permitted, depending on theme & editor's flexibility.
• Word count: 15 x 15: max 78; themeless: max 72.
• Grid layout: e.g., connectivity -- 'all-over interlock'; no islands; exception: quadrupuzzle?
• Avoid narrow (1-2 square wide) 'isthmus' -- fewer crossings makes solving much more challenging.
• There can be exceptions, e.g., Fri, NYT 9/8/2022: "Tetris" discussion
• Grid sizes are odd (15 x 15, 21 x 21) by convention
  -- plus maintaining symmetry with the 4 center squares may be more difficult in an even-sized grid?
• First theme entry usually appears in third row of a 15 x 15 -- or 4th row if 12-14 letters long.
• Same-length theme entries are placed symmetrically Across, usually;
  maybe place entries in Down columns if compatible with the theme, e.g., Fall Into Adventure
• Additional shorter theme entries in other direction are possible, but less common due to crossing challenges;
  in general, I try to minimize the number of multiple theme crossings by any entries to have more fill options later.
• 'Cheater' squares, esp. in corners, are discouraged by editors -- why not make those entries longer?
• Theme entries typically abut left or right puzzle edge.
• Optional: unmatched (odd-length) theme or reveal entry centered in middle row;
  usually reveal appears last.
• Check Crossword Publication Specs for guidance, e.g.
• NYT: "Crosswords must have black square symmetry,
  which typically comes in the form of 180-degree rotational symmetry;
  
  Crosswords must have all-over interlock;
  Crosswords must not have unchecked squares
  (i.e., all letters must be found in both Across and Down answers);
  All answers must be at least 3 letters long;
  Black squares should be used in moderation.
  
  Maximum Word Count: 78 words for a 15×15 (72 for a themeless); 140 for a 21×21.
  Maximums may be exceeded slightly at the editor’s discretion, if the theme warrants"
• LAT: "Max word count is 78; under 43 black squares preferred.
  All answer words must interlock throughout the grid, and the grid pattern must be symmetrical.
  Rotational symmetry, where the grid looks the same upside down as it does right side up,
  is preferred, but right/left symmetry is also acceptable if the theme requires it.
  A grid with no symmetry or unusual symmetry will only be considered if the pattern is theme-related"
• WSJ: "The word count shouldn’t exceed 78 for a 15-by-15 puzzle
  and 140 for a 21-by-21 puzzle (though as many as 144 may be allowed in special cases)"
• Univ.: "The maximum word count is 80 for a themed 15x15, 74 for a themeless 15x15, and 146 for a 21x21.
  There is no maximum black square count -- just be sure to avoid big chunks of black squares (e.g., a 3x3 block)"
• Puzzle stats may be useful:
• crosserville.com > Puzzle Stats
  # words, # blocks, avg. word len or # 3 letter words; for sizes: 15 x 15 or 21 x 21;
  for publisher: NYT, LAT, WSJ, Univ.; for day of week
• xwordinfo.com
  many free stats available, e.g., Puzzles with the longest avg. word length;
  Words and Letters: Shortz Era & All Time; Grids with the fewest words and most words;
  Pangrams and puzzles with the fewest letters used;
  Rebus puzzles (symbols or multiple letters in a single square);
  Schrödinger puzzles aka quantum crosswords
• Cruciverb: Advice on Making 21 x 21 Puzzles
  maximum word counts differ depending on the editor. From tough to tougher:
  Stan Newman: 146; Mel Rosen: 142; Will Shortz: 140; other: 144

Process

• With theme entries placed, prioritize potential problem areas with few fill and crossing word options.
• Avoid letter patterns with no (or very few) possibilities; pay special attention to words containing J, Q, X, Z
• Use quick / auto fill in construction app -- any complete fill possible, even with some obscure words/crosswordese?
• Re-locate blocks and maybe swap theme entries to improve word choice options and eliminate bottlenecks.
• Modify entry lengths by changing noun and verb endings.
• Flip grid horizontally to shift where crossings occur -- or start over with a different grid.
• Repeat as desired, then proceed to Fill (next section)

References / Examples

• NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle, Part 2: Designing the Grid; Building the framework for a puzzle:
  Choosing the Right Tool; Placing the Theme Entries; Those Pesky Letters; Fashioning a Fillable Puzzle; The Perils of AutoFill
• Crossword Constructor's Handbook (Berry) Chapter 2: Designing the Grid:
  Reviewing the Rules; Making a Grid to Match Your Theme; Placing the theme entries;
  What's so special about Across entries? Okay, so what's so great about the third row?
  Making the grid "fillable"; Take advantage of the maximum word count; The allure of low word counts;
  Avoid creating large white areas; Check answer slots that cross your theme entries;
  Examine published grids; Avoid using "cheaters"; Using unusual theme placements;
  Putting some theme entries among the Downs; Splitting a theme entry across two slots;
  Using left/right grid symmetry; Designing Themeless Grids

• 
  

  The Art of Crossword Construction (Johnston): Grid Pattern Conventions:
  Grid features; Grid symmetries; Things to avoid in grids; Quiz about unacceptable grids

• How Crossword Puzzles Are Really Made Gaffney; MF; 9/10/2014
• How to construct a crossword puzzle for the New York Times
  Alex Boisvert, Crossword Nexus; video: 9:44; grid: @4:50; 4/23/2013;
• WordPlay documentary: Merl creates grid manually: @0:16:12, @0:19:19

• 
  

  Walkthrough: Making a Puzzle with CrossFire

• Examples: OLLI (next subsection)
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Authoring, Refs: Grids
• Comparison of 75022 published crossword grids
• How USA Today is changing crossword symmetry 11/20/2021
• Hidden Word Puzzles: To Circle or Not to Circle?
  earlier reveal for easier puzzles? 7/13/2021

Strategy | How to Find | How to Choose | Metrics | References

Strategy

• After initial grid layout, and theme entry placement, it's time to fill in other words.
• CrossFire: Grid > Quick Fill demonstrates whether any solution is possible (albeit with some undesirable entries).
• We plan to choose our own entries -- hopefully more fun, and recognizable with rough definitions in mind.
• However, we're not ready to start adding actual clues until the fill is complete and final.
• Berry (CCH) suggests the following strategy:
• 1. Fill slots that have the fewest possible fills first.
• 2. Fill slots that already contain some letters before filling empty slots.
• 3. Fill longer slots before shorter slots
• CrossFire: Fill > Best Location can usually identify bottlenecks,
  i.e., tight, constrained areas with fewest options, to focus on next.
• As filling progresses, good later options generally become more limited.
• If this results in unsatisfactory options or dead ends,
  change earlier choices via Undo or by reverting to an earlier saved version
  -- or shift theme entry locations and/or tweak grid.
• Even after grid is initially full, pause, review entries and subareas
  -- any duplicate words? how many crosswordese? long repeated letter sequences?
  any entries you dislike or regret? unsure about how to define some entries?
• It may be possible to improve small areas without starting over -- another reason to wait to write clues.

How To Find Entries?

• Another common party question:... "Can't a computer just fill the grid for you?"
  Answer: Yes, sort of: "the process is semi-computerized now, a dance between
  the human brain’s judgment and the silicon monster’s brute force." ~Matt Gaffney
• Pretend you're playing "Wheel of Fortune" -- recognize patterns and enumerate possibilities.
• Guide fill of selected areas using an app's built-in and add-on dictionaries -- or your own lists.
  Note: some dictionaries contain typos, nonsensical words, etc. -- be sure to doublecheck validity.
• If finding best fill candidates seems too slow in CrossFire, Ingrid can be much faster;
  add the same dictionaries; set same word score cutoff;
  open CrossFire file (.cfp) in Ingrid; compare fill suggestions for the same entries.
• Find words that have been used in other crosswords, e.g., OneLook.com, OneAcross.com -- though not too often.
• CrosswordGiant.com: Search by Answer: answer entry/pattern (?) -> matching entries & clue
• XWordInfo: Finder ($; NYT only?): answer entry/pattern (?*) -> matching entries & clues

How To Choose From Possible Entries?

• Check Crossword Publication Specs for guidance, e.g.
• NYT: "Constructors should emphasize lively words, well-known names and fresh phrases.
  Common words that lend themselves to interesting and imaginative cluing angles are encouraged.
  Diversity in cultural references — for age, gender, ethnicity, etc. — is desired.
  
  Avoid offensive language. Be mindful of words that might impact solvers negatively.
  Non-English words are allowed, so long as they are familiar or inferable to people who don’t speak the language.
  Avoid uncommon abbreviations and partial phrases longer than five letters
  (“So ___” for BE IT would be permissible, while “So ___” for IT GOES would not.)
  
  Keep crosswordese to a minimum — that is, answers that appear far more in crosswords
  than in real life (ERNE, ASTA, ARETE, YSER, etc.).
  
  Difficult words are fine — especially for the harder daily puzzles that run late in the week
  — if the words are interesting bits of knowledge or useful additions to the vocabulary.
  However, never let two obscure words or names cross."
• LAT: "All answer words should be three letters or more,
  and should contain only letters, not symbols or numbers.
  Only one letter per square, please;...fresh vocabulary and witty wordplay."
• WSJ: "filler words should be common, familiar, and lively.
  You should avoid obscure words, crosswordese, and an
  excess of abbreviations or partial phrases (like OUT ON).
  Don’t overdo the number of proper names,
  especially if they are all from a particular field (like sports or pop culture)"
• Univ.: "Are all words/phrases things the average non-crossword solver could expect
  to come across in real life (outside of a specific niche such as academia)?
  Check your crossings for intersecting proper nouns (names, TV shows, songs,
  brands, places, etc.) or other pieces of specialized vocabulary.
  On a related note, try to avoid putting more than 2
  “know it or you don’t” answers (or clues) in the same section.
  
  Plurals of first or last names are generally discouraged (e.g., SARAS).
  If you use a word from a language other than English,
  it should be an introductory vocabulary word (hello, thank you, etc.).
  There’s more flexibility with Spanish words due to the number of Spanish speakers in the U.S.
  
  Avoid made-up words and phrases you wouldn’t expect to find in a dictionary
  or commonly hear in conversation (e.g., PURPLE COMPUTER).
  Uncommon forms or spellings of words (such as REHOE, EYER and ENURE) should be avoided.
  We like to check the Google dictionary by typing “define ___” in Google search.
  We are more likely to accept a word if it’s verified by Google.
  Words marked as “archaic” or “literary” in the dictionary tend to be too tough.
  
  Try to avoid partials (multi-word phrases that can only be clued with a fill-in-the-blank
  because they’re not stand-alone phrases), especially if they’re longer than 3 letters.
  For example, LAP OF can only be clued as [in the ___ luxury].
  Try not to have multiple abbreviations in any one section.
  Too many abbreviations and/or partials can make an area feel “goopy.”
  
  Answers that could make solvers of any gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation
  and/or ability level feel uncomfortable should be avoided.
  Explicit references to sex, medical conditions, illegal drugs, bodily functions,
  and generally unpleasant or violent things should also be avoided.
  If you’re referencing a person in your puzzle, we suggest googling them to make sure they
  don’t have allegations against them (accusations of misconduct, discriminatory speech, etc.)"

• 
  

  "(1) crosswordese:... words frequently found in crossword puzzles
  but seldom found in everyday conversation" ~Wikipedia

• "(2) crosswordese:... the jargon of crossword puzzle answers,
  classically consisting of rare, archaic, or dialectal words" ~Wiktionary
• "(3) crosswordese:... the undefined vocabulary of puzzlemaking that,
  according to some constructors, always appears in puzzles made by other people.
  When the same vocabulary appears in their own puzzles, it is referred to as 'fill'
  and is therefore justified." ~Elizabeth C. Gorski
• Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your 'Crosswordese?' NYT; 11/28/2017
• Margaret Farrar (1st NYT crossword editor): good manners; no unpleasant or impolite language
• Word usage rules from Simon & Schuster in 1920s...
  "Obsolete and dialectic words may be used in moderation if
  plainly marked and accessible in some standard dictionary.
  Abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes should be avoided as far as possible.
  
  Definitions may be of the safe and sane dictionary kind, may be literary or historical,
  may employ secondary meanings cleverly, may be legitimately funny."
• "My biggest piece of advice for a puzzlemaker is... never put an
  obscure word in the grid just because it's the only thing that will work.
  Re-do the puzzle instead, even if it means going back to the beginning
  and putting the theme entries in different positions." ~Trip Payne
• Use word 'scores' if available -- higher scores: more unique / lively;
  lower scores: crosswordese or more obscure.
• If auto-fill suggests an unrecognized entry,
  check its definition to make sure it'll be 'clueable' later.
• Use words/abbrev./acronyms that are mostly familiar to solvers -- but avoid overuse
• Some 'crosswordese' & abbrev. & proper names may be necessary for otherwise great fill,
  but too much in an subarea becomes 'gluey' -- avoid initially, or refill later.
• Crosserville provides an option that can flag problem areas:
  Highlight Words Scored Below: value (originally called "Natick detector")
• Longer words may be more interesting since they're used/seen less, e.g.:
  "Six letters (the 'breakout length') -- that's the promised land...
  There are exponentially more usable six-letter patterns than three-letter,
  so you get much more lively stuff -- and much more rarely seen entries to boot." ~Matt Gaffney
• Diversity of references -- not too much specialized language
• The "NATICK Principle" was popularized by Rex Parker blogging about NYT: 7/6/2008:
  "If you include a proper noun in your grid that you cannot reasonably expect
  more than 1/4 of the solving public to have heard of, you must cross that noun
  with reasonably common words and phrases or very common names." e.g.,
  1A: Town at the eighth mile of the Boston Marathon [NATICK]
  1D: "Treasure Island" illustrator, 1911 [NCWYETH]

• 
  

  Avoid crossing two entries of the same category, e.g., two sports clues, two opera clues, etc.,
  since a solver (who knows neither) might not be able to fill-in the crossed square

• Favor fill entries related to theme?
• Newer, evolving language: MEME, SIM, SEXT, TWEET, N.L. EAST,
  NICKI MINAJ, LGBT, LOL, BARISTA, EDIBLE UNDERWEAR;
  ~Smithsonian: How Crosswords Came of Age in the 2010s
• "In North America, crossword puzzle editors use what has come to be
  known as 'The Breakfast Test'... when deciding whether an entry is appropriate or not
  If you can talk about it at the breakfast table then it can appear in a crossword.
  Taboo subjects are death, disease, depressing news and scatological humor.
  As one editor famously quipped, 'People get enough of that in the rest of the newspaper.
  They don't need it in their crossword.' However, today one encounters famous brand names,
  movie and song titles and famous people which is a relatively recent development.
  Nowadays, there is more and more cheese and less crosswordese, those stale entries
  which probably will never disappear completely. Lively fill is what editors and
  solvers want. More jackals and zebras and fewer ernes and gnus." ~about.com
  -- these 'rules' are less rigid these days.
• "And there's word-choice rules... You can't use -- usually
  -- bodily functions in puzzles, you know.
  'Urine' would bail me out of a corner, I mean, a million times a year.
  Same with 'enema.' 'Enema' -- talk about great letters." ~Merl Reagle

Use Metrics

• Choose entries with higher word rankings (dictionary scores),
  and/or ones with higher grid scores: measure of 'neighborhood quality' / openness.
• Check Statistics; eliminate duplicate words
  and sometimes long (> 3) common letter sequences in entries.
• CrossFire: Summary tab:
• Avg. Score: quality of entries from dictionary values;
  e.g., 'Great'(=60), 'Good' (=50), 'Fair' (=25), 'Poor' (=5)
  -- higher 'better'; target?
• Letter counts: how many 'difficult' letters used?
  some editors may like a few of J, Q, X, Z included;
  some constructors vie for highest 'Scrabble score'
• Words tab:
• Score: word value from add-on dictionaries;
  unusual theme answers may have zero score, if not in dict.;
  try to replace lower score fill words?
• XScore: measure of ease of finding crossing entries; lower scores in harder grid areas
• Shared Strings: 3-letter overlap (highlighted)
  -- letter repetition may sometimes be ok for different word roots or contexts.
• Submission Checker import .puz, .jpz, .ipuz;
  report: Black squares, 3-letter words, Word count, Clue characters, Dupes (word overlaps)
• Analyze puzzle: upload .puz -- for a report with various statistics?
  e.g., schoOLLIfe example analysis;
  symmetry; # circle & rebus squares; unique words; cheater squares;
  Distribution of answer words by length; Letter distribution (frequency);
  Answer words, which are not legal Scrabble entries, may be more interesting;
  Theme uniqueness: puzzles that share
  1) the most words with this one; 2) the unusual or long entries;
  Puzzles with identical, or topologically similar grids;
  "Scrabble score": letters used * tile value (w/o doubling/tripling) e.g., Highest NYT daily;
  "Freshness Factor" = 100 - average of # occurrences of each answer word in NYT puzzles,
  i.e., more unusual; NYT freshest

References / Examples

• How Word Lists Help -- or Hurt -- Crossword Puzzles NYT; 10/6/2021
• NYT: How to Solve The New York Times Crossword; interactive examples:
  Fill-in-the-Blanks (FITB,'gimmes'); Tense; Part of Speech; Plural; Foreign Language;
  Partner Clues; Cross Referenced; Abbreviations; Clues with a "?"; Slang;
  "Quotes" and [Brackets]; Veiled Capitals; Heteronyms
• NYT: Some common clue patterns; interactive examples:
  Clue/Answer Agreement; Question Mark Clues; Crosswordese; Themes; Rebus Answers

• 
  

  NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle, Part 3: Filling the Rest of the Grid; How to make your entries sparkle
  I’ve Got a Little (Word) List; Quality Is Never an Accident; But What About 'Crosswordese'?
  Sunday Morning Breakfast Test (less rigid now, but generally avoid vulgarity, death. disease);
  Start With the Most Constraints, Not the Least; Polish That Fill Until It Shines Like the Top of the Chrysler Building;
  Am I Allowed to Change Things Around to Get the Best Fill? The Dreaded Duplication; Fussy About Fill

• Crossword Constructor's Handbook (Berry) Chapter 3: Choosing Good Grid Entries (And Avoiding Bad Ones)
  Pondering the Possibilities: Multiword phrases and hyphenated phrases; Famous people; Geographical locations;
  Literature and the arts; Pop culture; Miscellaneous capitalized terms; Trademarks; Foreign words;
  Acronyms and abbreviations; Prefixes and suffixes; Variant spellings; Roman numerals; Partials (parts of larger phrases);
  Differentiating Good Entries from Bad Entries; crosswordese; Taking the offensive (out!);
  Familiarity; Using obscure entries; Avoiding pseudo-familiar entries; Length; Rarity; Clueability

• 
  

  Crossword Constructor's Handbook (Berry) Chapter 4: Filling the Grid
  Filling Grids Manually; Common filling techniques: Alternating vowels and consonants;
  Building stacks by adding adjacent layers; Mapping consonants and vowels; Dividing and conquering;
  Changing your black-square arrangement; Digging for partials; Using gridmaking software for manual fills;
  Filling Grids Automatically; Searching for 'duplicates'

• The Art of Crossword Construction (Johnston): Filling the Grid: Fill sequence; Things to avoid in fill
• How Crossword Puzzles Are Really Made Gaffney; MF; 9/10/2014

• 
  

  How to construct a crossword puzzle for the New York Times Alex Boisvert,
  Crossword Nexus; video: 9:44; fill: @6:00; 4/23/2013;

• WordPlay documentary: Merl fills other words: @0:19:19, @0:24:44
• Walkthrough: Making a Puzzle with CrossFire
• Example: OLLI (next subsection)
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Vocabulary, Authoring

Overview | Strategy | Guidelines | References

Overview

• Finally done with adjusting the grid and redoing any filled areas?
• "Brevity is the soul of wit."... ~Hamlet.
  "I think that applies to crossword clues as well." ~Will Shortz
• For 15 x 15, usually < 1600 characters for all clues; Nexus Submission Checker
• Fresh original clues are preferred over those recycled from older puzzles,
  or definitions copied from a dictionary.
• "It's sometimes difficult to find ways to keep things fresh...
  When you have to clue 'ODE' for the thousandth time, it can be a drag
  to sit there and try to think of a new way to clue it." ~Trip Payne
• I'm making my own crossword but I'm struggling to think up a clue
  for 3 Down, 'Armageddon'... Ah well, it's not the end of the world.
• "I have to clue the crossword answer EAT … again. I know, I know. This really isn’t that big of a deal.
  It’s such a familiar word. I don’t need to come up with any dictionaryish phrasing because we all know
  what EAT means. I shouldn’t even have to search the web to kick-start my brain. It’s that easy, in principle.
  
  So why am I struggling? EAT has shown up 367 times in The NYT Crossword since Will Shortz took over as editor in 1993.
  
  These Monday-level clues are classic fodder: “Dine,” “Partake of,” “Polish off,” “Chow down,” “Consume.”
  
  And then there are the groan-inducing plays on words: “Put away the dishes?” “Work on a submarine.”
  “Take sides?” “No longer fast?” “Have a little lamb?” “Conquer a hero?”
  
  We’ve even explored other meanings and vague wordings to disguise things: “Accept, as losses.”
  “Exhortation after saying grace.” “Dog/dog separator.” “‘Let’s ___!’”
  
  But you know what? Part of the joy of this job is to find that new clue for EAT. We’re always on the hunt
  for fresh ways to present otherwise-common fill. Shortz has been doing this for nearly 30 years, after all!
  
  “Clear your cookies?” anyone?
  Or this thoughtful clue: “‘People who love to ___ are always the best people’: Julia Child.”
  We can’t claim credit for all of these, of course. We’ve been lucky to see inventive new angles
  from our constructors over the years." ~Sam Ezersky, NYT Wordplay newsletter, 11/13/2023
• "When I first started making crosswords, I stuck to early-week puzzles,
  which generally have more straightforward clues. I’ve branched out more,
  and now enjoy writing clues for every day of the week. Friday and
  Saturday clues, though, are definitely the biggest challenge for me,
  and they are the hardest for constructors to nail.
  
  Generally speaking, the longer you solve puzzles, the easier it will
  be for you to write question-mark clues. You'll start to notice
  connections between words more quickly, and it will become easier
  to spot words that can have double meanings — which make them ripe
  for wordplay. Here are some of my best tips for writing these clues:
  
  Be intentional about which entries you decide to write question-mark clues for.
  Abbreviations, names, partial or prepositional phrases or technical terms
  you suspect aren’t broadly familiar to all solvers are bad candidates
  for tricky clues. OCTOPUS, ATTIC and PEPPER have great potential; HSBC,
  STUNK AT, IS ON, OLIVIA RODRIGO and HARD RESET, not so much. Wordplay clues
  are best when saved for very familiar words and phrases. Nouns tend to be the best.
  
  Come up with a list of words related to the word you’re cluing, keeping
  an eye out for words that have double meanings. You might use a resource
  like a reverse dictionary to help in your brainstorm. For instance, with
  OCTOPUS, you might write down 'arms,' 'suckers,' 'eight,' 'ocean' and 'ink.'
  With ATTIC, you could try 'story,' 'creepy,' 'cobwebs' and 'top.'
  
  Look at a list of idioms that have the words you’ve written down.
  Do any of them apply to the word you’re using? 'An arm and a leg' (no)
  'keep at arm’s length' (not really); 'armed to the gills,' (maybe)!
  Do octopuses have gills? Yes, they do! Could we get away with saying
  an octopus is armed to the gills? Maybe. In fact, we did.
  
  Look at a thesaurus to help you think of words that might be easier to
  play with than the first one that comes to mind.
  
  Think about homophones when you're using idioms to create a clue.
  Writing a clue for ANOINT, you might think about how anointing is a kind
  of rite -- but there might be more phrases that are related to 'right'
  than to 'rite.' 'Do the rite thing?' is a clue we used earlier this year."
  ~Christina Iverson; Easy Mode newsletter; 1/5/2024
• "One rule we rarely break, however, involves not getting meta, or self-referential,
  with the puzzle. (One memorable exception was the 'PuzzleGPT' theme from Ryan
  Patrick Smith, which was definitely not written by artificial intelligence.)
  For example, we generally avoid using clues that break the fourth wall,
  so the answer NYT wouldn’t be clued as 'Publication you’re reading right now: Abbr.'
  That said, rules are meant to be broken — and they often are on April 1."
  ~Christina Iverson, Easy Mode newsletter

Strategy

• Find / clues that have been used in other crosswords:
• CrosswordTracker.com: Search: Answer or Clue
• CrosswordGiant.com:
  Search by Answer: answer entry/pattern (?) -> matching entries & clues;
  Search by Clue: clue word(s) -> entire clues & corresponding answer entries
• cruciverb.com: Answer Search ($; NYT, LAT, WSJ, Univ., WaPo)
• Cluer Database App: Mac, Win, Lnx; free;
  standalone app [image: right]; it can be integrated into CrossFire [image: below];
  Matt Ginsberg -- no longer updating; last update: 5/9/2023; try xd.saul.pw?
• xd.saul.pw Saul Pwanson; database updated regularly vs. cluer (8/2021); xd-clues.zip;
  xd-clues.tsv is a large tab-separated-value file that can be opened in a spreadsheet app (~6.6M rows);
  it can't currently be integrated/imported into CrossFire
• xwordinfo.com (NYT only; full date):
  Finder ($): answer entry/pattern (?*) -> matching entries & clues;
  Clue Search (free): clue word(s) -> entire clues & corresp. answer entries
• Check Crossword Publication Specs for guidance
  -- and in section below for NYT, LAT, Univ. WSJ
• There are a number of conventions and constraints to consider, e.g.:
• Part of speech mirroring: noun (singular/plural) or verb (tense) agreement between clue and answer
• Language: if clue is in Spanish or has a Spanish name or city, answer is likely Spanish.
• Different types of clues, e.g., FITB (Fill In The ___), firstname ___, ___ lastname, abbrev., acronyms, ...
• Solving: Decode Clues: more tips and examples
• 1-Across easier? Fagliano: for 5x5, 7/2/1 rule: 7 easy, 2 tougher, 1 tricky clue
• Harder puzzles (e.g., Wed, Thu) can have trickier clues (than Mon, Tue), e.g.,
• Mon: "Nabisco cookie"; "Cookie with creme filling"; "Twist, Lick, Dunk’ cookie"
• Sat: "Snack since 1912"; "It has 12 flowers on each side”; "Sandwich often given a twist"
• CROSSWORDS AND YOU: Difficulty (days of week)
• For especially ambiguous clues, add "?" to alert solver.
  How the Daily Beast's Crossword Constructor Thinks About Question Marks in Clues -- spoiler?
• It's ok to repeat clues -- sometimes for theme entries.
• Do not use actual answer words in any of the clues -- use different words or a cross-reference
• Fact check, correct typos, check part-of-speech mirroring,
  check clue numbers in any cross-references, e.g., "with 22-Across, ...".
• Nexus Submission Checker identifies words duplicated in your fill entries and/or clues
• Sleep on it. Ask a friend to solve the puzzle and provide feedback. Review, revise.
• If editors accept a puzzle, they'll often change many of the clues,
  in order to be more consistent for that day of week's difficulty, ...

Guidelines

• NYT: "Original, on-target clues, pitched at the puzzle’s intended
  difficulty level, including a variety of cultural reference points.
  Clues should reflect the difficulty of the puzzle.
  Our difficulty scale increases through the week, with the easiest puzzles on Mon
  and hardest on Sat. Sunday puzzles should reflect midweek difficulty levels.
  
  Clues should be fresh, colorful and precise.
  Try to be original, and inject humor where possible.
  Themeless clues should be more difficult and require imaginative thinking.
  Show us your wit and wordplay!
  
  For example, for the answer STRAP:
  Monday clue: “Subway rider’s handhold”
  Wednesday clue: “Part of a bike helmet”
  Saturday clue: “What might keep a watch on you"
• LAT: "Clues should match the difficulty level of the puzzle’s theme,
  and should be as accurate as they are creative"
• WSJ: "Clue difficulty level for daily puzzles ranges from moderately easy to difficult.
  If the theme is very straightforward, the clues should be on the easy side for use
  early in the week, while if the theme is tricky, the clues should be harder.
  Clue difficulty level for weekend crosswords should be medium to difficult.
  All puzzles, both daily and weekend, have titles.
  You should suggest a title that doesn’t conflict with any theme answers"
• Univ.: "If your puzzle would traditionally have circles, please be sure to include
  workaround hints in the clues (as described in the Basic technical specs section).
  We encourage you to consider the overall voice/perspective of your clues.
  Keep in mind that a diverse audience will be solving your puzzle.
  If a theme is particularly tricky, make the puzzle’s clues easier
  In addition to looking out for proper nouns in the grid, keep an eye out for putting
  a lot of references in your clues, which essentially turn non-proper entries into propers.
  Use 3 underscores for all fill-in-the-blank clues.
  Avoid vague clues. In general, if a clue isn’t deliberately using misdirection,
  it should have one and only one interpretation.
  Use at most 1 misdirection/question-mark clue per section. Also, be picky about
  question-mark clues in general, especially in sections that already have challenging fill.
  If you have a question-mark clue that seems stretchy,
  we’d rather see a straightforward clue in its place.
  
  When in doubt, err on the side of indicating when an answer is informal or abbreviated.
  Similarly, err on the side of including question marks for misdirection clues.
  Don’t include accent marks or nonstandard characters in your clues; our software can’t support them.
  With the exception of short words like “the,” “from,” etc., avoid clues containing answers
  that are elsewhere in the grid, especially if those answers are nearby.
  Every clue should contain useful information for the average solver.
  For example, when cluing a song title, include more information than just the year
  and singer’s name (e.g., part of a significant lyric).
  We use AP Style’s guidelines on spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, etc.
  Feel free to Google “your word” “AP Style” if you’re wondering how a word/phrase in a clue should look.
  The clue character limit (excluding clue numbers but including spaces) is 1600 for a 15x15..."

References / Examples

• NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle, Part 4: Writing the Clues;
  Conjuring up easy clues and clues that will twist people’s brains
  What Day of the Week Should I Aim For? Start With the Theme Clues;
  The Words Are All There, Now We Just Have to Get Them in the Right Order;
  Only 72 More Clues to Write; But Is It O.K. to Copy Someone Else’s Clue?
  Basic Rules: Entries and clues must be consistent when it comes to number,
  part of speech and tense; When in doubt, test whether your clue could
  neatly replace your entry in a sample sentence;
  Don't repeat words in your clues that appear in the grid;
  Practice using qualifiers in your clues when appropriate
  Let your solvers know when to shorten things;
  Keep a close eye on the amount of trivia-based or current events clues
  (they might have a short shelf life);
  Play fair with misdirection; Try to strike a universal chord,
  rather than getting heavily specific; Proofread;
  Is The New York Times the Only Place to Get My Puzzle Published?
  What If I Need More Help? Is It True That the Editors Bite?
  the submitted puzzle (before editing): clues; web, .pdf, .puz
• Crossword Constructor's Handbook (Berry) Chapter 5: Writing the Clues
  Golden Rule: Your clue must be the same part of speech as your entry (exception to the golden rule);
  Avoid using words (or forms of words; or prefixes and suffixes) from the answer in your clue;
  Don’t define a word by example; Don’t editorialize; Limit your use of single-word clues;
  Keep your puzzle’s difficulty level in mind; Use a good mix of clue topics and styles;
  Capitalize the first word of every clue; Enclose names of books, short stories, poems,
  plays, films, TV shows, stage shows, songs, and works of art in double quotes;
  Enclose words that are meant to be spoken, or quotations from famous people
  or written works in double quotes; Cluing uncapitalized entries: nouns, verbs,
  adverbs, adjectives, interjections, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns;
  Capitalized entries: famous names, geographical terms, arts & culture, companies/brands;
  Not-so-great entries: Foreign words, abbrev., prefixes and suffixes, variant spellings, Roman numerals;
  Fill-in-the-blank clues; Clues that cross-reference other clues; Analogy clues;
  Clues that refer to words as words; Writing Entertaining Clues: Using the dictionary def.;
  Using other references; Getting sneaky; Take advantage of common assumptions;
  Form a familiar phrase; Incorporate an idiom; Write a sound-alike clue;
  Disguise the key term's part of speech or capitalization; Aim to confuse;
  A Gallery of Cluing Mistakes
• Patrick Merrell: 24 Tips for Writing Crossword Clues from an NYTimes Constructor

• 
  

  The Art of Crossword Construction (Johnston): Writing Clues:
  Rules; Varieties of clues; Clue variety; Quiz about tricky clues

• How Crossword Puzzles Are Really Made Gaffney; MF; 9/10/2014
• How to construct a crossword puzzle for the New York Times
  Alex Boisvert, Crossword Nexus; video: 9:44; clues: @6:40; 4/23/2013;
• Walkthrough: Making a Puzzle with CrossFire [image: right]
• WordPlay documentary: cluing: no clips; solvers: @0:44:50
• Clues for center theme entries
• 32: With 33-Across, anagrams and puns (or parts hidden in 17-, 24-, 44- and 51-Across) = WORD
• 33: See 32-Across = PLAY
• Example: OLLI (next subsection)
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Decode Clues (clue types, examples); Authoring

Before Submitting | Submit | After Submitting | Response | Self-Publish | References

Before Submitting

• "The most common question I get is... 'Do you know Will Shortz?'" ~Trip Payne
• "For everybody who starts out, The New York Times is the... gold standard.
  I think everybody has that ambition [to be published in NYT], but if I had never gotten a puzzle there,
  I would’ve still been just as proud of what I accomplished." ~Laura Braunstein
• Review Crossword Publication Specs (many publications listed, besides NYT, LAT, WSJ, Univ.),
  esp. format(s), max submissions in queue, response time, $$; e.g.,
• NYT: lead editor: Will Shortz; editors often have a staff of asst. editors and reviewers.
  format: .pdf (NYT format example);
  max submitted for review: 3 ("We count collaborations as half for each byline");
  response time: ~3 mo.;
  $$: daily (15 x 15): $500 (1-2), $750 (*3+); Sun: $1500 (1-2), $2250 (*3+);
  *"to encourage even newer contributors to contribute more often,
  by the setting of an easier bar to meet for the higher rate" ~Will Shortz; 1/2020
• LAT: lead editor: Patti Varol;
  format: .puz, .ccw, .cfp;
  max submitted for review: 3;
  response time: ~3 mo.;
  $$: 15 x 15: $125; 21 x 21: $300
• WSJ: lead editor: Mike Shenk;
  format: .puz;
  max submitted for review: 3?
  response time: ~8 mo.?
  $$: daily: $200; weekend: $500
• Univ.: lead editor: David Steinberg;
  format: .puz, .ccw, .cfp;
  max submitted for review: 5;
  response time: ~1 mo.;
  $$: 15 x 15: $150; 21 x 21: $350
• Keep your day job!
• George Frank: puzzles never paid much:
  "In his most lucrative year [in 1960s], he made only $650.
  A 23 x 23 Brain Buster brought in no more than $20, while the smaller ones paid $4 to $5,
  but took only an hour to design compared to an entire day for the brain busters."
• Imagine -- how you might enjoy all that new-found fame, and spend all that money ;-)!
• -- that you might someday be interviewed by your local newspaper,
  or be the featured constructor in NYT series: Who Made My Puzzle?
• -- that you might win an Orca Award
  annual (2012-2022) celebration of outstanding achievement in crossword puzzle construction and editing,;
  many categories, including: Best Crossword, Best Clue, Constructor of the Year, ...
• Back to reality...
• Nexus: Submission Checker import .puz, .jpz, .ipuz;
  report: Black squares, 3-letter words, Word count, Clue characters, Dupes (word overlaps)
• XWordInfo: Analyze puzzle: upload .puz (discussed earlier Fill:Metrics) for analyzing theme, grid, fill);
  link to an interactive version for friends to solve and provide feedback, e.g., schoOLLIfe example
• Analyze your Puzzles improvements 6/5/2022
• PuzzleMe: Publish and Preview > Test Solve
• Post puzzle to a crossword forum for feedback? e.g.,
  Cruciverb.com, Reddit:crossword,
  Facebook:Cruciverb (crossword constructors group),
  discord.com: Crosscord: CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTION#test-solves (invitation required)
• Proofread. Fact-check clues. Review. Revise. Repeat.

Submit

• Do not submit the same puzzle to several publishers at the same time.
  Only after receiving a rejection should you consider submitting to a different publisher.
  If your puzzle had actually been accepted by both, withdrawing means apologizing for wasting an editor's time.
• To avoid overloading/annoying editors, check how many submissions they allow in their queues.
• Is publisher currently accepting submissions?
  NYT may pause submission around holidays and/or to catch up on backlogs.
  Universal accepts submissions only during odd months -- check publisher's guidelines.
• Many publishers accept an emailed puzzle file: .puz, .ccw (Crossword Compiler) or .cfp (CrossFire)
• CrossFire: File > Export as > Across Lite Binary/Text (.puz/.txt)
• NYT requires a particular .pdf format (example) that's submitted online
• CrossFire: File > Print > NYT submission: fill-in street address, email;
  Author copied from puzzle Info; note: blank grid (1st page) can be removed
• Crosserville: File > Export puzzle > NY Times Submission format
• Phil: Export as: NYT submission (.pdf)
• NYT Submission Editor upload .puz; enter email & address; download .pdf
• Crossword Compiler: best to export .puz and use NYT Submission Editor

After Submitting

• Q: What do crossword puzzle editors do to relax?... A: NOT CROSSWORDS!
• Editors and their staffs evaluate the consistency/uniqueness of theme, and quality of grid, fill, clues
  -- and compare against other past and current submissions.
• Quality standards have risen at NYT. "There are puzzles from years ago
  that I probably wouldn't accept today" ~Will Shortz; NYT; 11/16/2023
• Wait: weeks/months... -- see publisher's estimated 'response time';
  actual response time is sometimes discussed on crossword forums, e.g.,
  does a longer wait mean: they're short-staffed with too many submissions,
  or has your puzzle survived initial triage (no quick rejection), with a serious chance of a closer look?
• Many excellent puzzles are submitted, by many constructors, esp. to NYT:
  ~200+/week submitted to NYT; Shortz; 4/7/2021
• e.g., # of unique NYT 'Shortz Era' constructors = 1309 [1993 - 5/3/2023]; Steve's = 1261;
  The Shortz Number is the order each constructor was first published in the NYT during the Will Shortz Era.
• "How a 'Maybe Becomes a Times Crossword.
  A little insider information on what a puzzle goes through while moving from submission to publication.
  We have open submissions, meaning that anyone can send us a crossword for consideration.
  My fellow editors and I receive 150 to 200 submissions every week, and from those we can select
  only the few that really stand out.
  
  We gather about twice a week in a virtual meeting to discuss the top "Maybes” as a team.
  For themeless puzzles, Will Shortz reads every entry in the grid aloud, starting with the
  Across entries, pausing for the rest of us to weigh in on whether it is “cross-worthy”
  or “clueable.” We might research entries we’re not familiar with, or have a friendly
  back-and-forth about whether a phrase is something people actually say.
  We often end with an informal vote on the puzzle, indicating our opinion and
  how strongly we feel about it — “I’m a big yes!” or “I’m a modest no,” for instance.
  ...We don’t always talk about the grid design, but it might add extra interest and feel
  like a nice bonus feature." ~Christina Iverson; NYT Wordplay newsletter, 10/13/2023
• "We haven't updated our NYT crossword inventory in a while, because it's largely unchanged
  from before. Each weekday (Mon-Sat) has 9 to 12 months of puzzles. That's a little more
  than we like to have on hand, but not by a ridiculous amount.
  
  We're still light on Sundays -- just 15 on file at the moment. Our response rate on submissions
  is now under three months. Our goal is to reduce this to 4-6 weeks. Almost all contributors
  are now using the submissions portal we introduced last year, and we encourage that.
  As before, we welcome submissions from everyone -- especially from contributors in
  underrepresented groups." ~Will Shortz, 6/7/21

Possible Responses

• 1. Rejected -- most likely, with an inconsistent or unexciting/reused theme, 'bad' fill, etc.,
  especially if publisher receives many better submissions, e.g. NYT
• "NYT acceptance rate decreased from ~10% pre-pandemic to ~5%"
  ~Master Crossword Constructor Jeff Chen Creative License podcast; 11/2/2022
• "Thanks, and please send us more" -- keep on constructing! (17 rejections before being accepted)
• Editors may provide specific feedback, but revise and resubmit only if requested.
• Modify and/or submit elsewhere? Self-publish (next subsection)?
• "My first rejection: April 10, 2009. My first acceptance: July 26, 2012.
  3+ years to hit the big leagues, and then another year before I felt
  confident enough that any puzzle I wrote would be a good one."
  ~Evan Birnholz, Washington Post Sunday crossword editor; 12/09/2023
• puzzle one hundred and seventeen: rejected puzzle ;-) "Dear newspapers,..."
• 2. Maybe -- revisions requested, e.g., replace theme/reveal entry, rework some fill, etc.
• Hopeful -- even after improvements, however, an editor may still decide "no thanks"
• 3. Accepted -- and (eventually) published, likely with some clues/fill modified;
  clues may be different (shorter) in print vs. online?
• "The Crossword Puzzle Editorial Process.
  First, the accepted puzzle is uploaded into our inventory,
  where it's sorted by acceptance date within a day-of-week category.
  About once a month, we take puzzles from the inventory and put
  them on the calendar. We schedule a few months in advance.
  
  Every week, the editors (not including Will Shortz) will be
  assigned to “pre-edit” a puzzle or two. We go over all of the
  clues, checking them for factual errors, typos, style and difficulty.
  We often change clues because they don’t fit the difficulty for
  the scheduled day of the week. We also often have to shorten wordy
  clues to make sure they fit in print. The following week, Will
  revisits the puzzles for a second edit.
  
  After Will’s edit, fact-checkers and test-solvers make sure the
  puzzle is accurate and feels appropriately difficult. From there,
  after making their suggested changes, another team of test-solvers
  "vibe check" the puzzles, keeping an eye out for clues that feel
  off for any reason. Finally, constructors receive a copy of the
  edited puzzle and can weigh in on any changes."
  ~Christina Iverson, Wordplay newsletter; NYT 10/20/2023
• Wait; register as a vendor with publisher (for eventual payment); proof final puzzle
• Enjoy fame, modest payment, adulation of solvers, ...
• One small downside: once you've transferred copyright to the publisher, you can't redistribute it.
• 2023's Crossword Constructor Debuts 90 puzzle makers' first NYT Crossword published; NYT; 12/11/2023
• Tips for [NYT] Debut Constructors
  photo and constructor notes for xwordblog.com; 11/9/2021
• Publishing a Puzzle -- my experience in Universal; Sam Brody
• Finally, It’s Published! queue, clue editing

Self-Publish

• If you have crosswords
• that require local or specialized knowledge for a limited audience,
• that don't have a novel theme or fit neatly within publisher's specifications,
• and/or that have been rejected by several publishers even after revisions,
• you may still want to share your creation with the world.
• Email to your friends, or post to social media, a puzzle forum or a web site in one or more puzzle formats:
• .pdf (or .jpg/.png) file for puzzle (grid & clues) and solution -- for printing
• .puz file -- for solving apps; .jpz files may be necessary for special formatting or character sets
• web link -- for solving in a browser

.pdf

• CrossFire: File > Print > Puzzle; -- & Solution Grid;
  .pdf > Save to .pdf -- e.g., Mac;
  .pdf > Open in Preview sends to printer -- Java bug
• CrossFire: File > Export As > Puzzle Image; -- & Solution Image; .png file
• AcrossLite: File > Open, e.g., .puz or .txt
• AcrossLite: File > Print > Solve items (fresh grid); -- & Solution Grid:
  select printer, or Save to .pdf; any long clues that might result in missing final clues?
• e.g., .pdf (puzzle) empty grid & clues; .pdf (solution) numbered grid with solution; .jpg

.puz

• .puz files can be imported into many Solving and Construction apps
• CrossFire: File > Export as > Across Lite Text / Binary, e.g., .txt, .puz
• AcrossLite: File > Open: .txt; File > Save As: .puz
• User: opens .puz in crossword app, e.g., Android, iOS: Crosswords; Mac, Windows: Across Lite
• Gallery: Solving Applications: Across Lite; Crosswords; etc.
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Other solving apps
• Gallery: Constructing Applications: CrossFire; Crosshare; Crossword Compiler; PuzzleMe; etc.
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Other construction apps

Web: external site

• Several browser-based construction sites can host interactive crosswords,
  e.g., Crosshare (free), PuzzleMe (free for non-commercial use);
  email/post a link (URL) for the puzzle
• PuzzleMe: login via Google or Facebook account custom login not avail.
• Create Puzzle: Upload an existing puzzle, e.g., .puz, .jpz
• Dashboard: to the right of the desired puzzle, select </> (Embed/Share)
• Direct Link (tab): copy link (URL) for others to view crossword on PuzzleMe's site, e.g.,
  https://amuselabs.com/pmm/crossword?id=3910c8fd&set=4adb2a46292076e384211e97283172f90d522ef0f604170d42f78226eade7772&embed=1
• Embed Code -- HTML for web site (see next)

Web: your own site

• Include notes, links to .pdf and .puz files, an interactive applet, solver comments, etc.
• Maintaining a site is more work, but provides the most flexibility and visiblity, e.g., submit to Daily Crossword Links
• Examples: OLLI puzzles; Steve's puzzles
• Starting A Crossword Puzzle Blog: The Complete Guide for 2024 Amuselabs; 2/15/2024
• Two basic approaches to implementing an interactive puzzle:
• 1. Embed an IFRAME (HTML) expression for a remote applet inside your page,
  e.g., Crosshare, PuzzleMe, Crossword Nexus, Exolve
• PuzzleMe: Embed Code (tab): copy IFRAME code, paste into your web page:
• <iframe height="640" allow="fullscreen" style="border:none;width:100%..."
src="https://amuselabs.com/pmm/crossword?id=..."></iframe>
• PuzzleMe is free for personal use; I've used it for many of my puzzles
• 2. Include a JavaScript (JS) library to access a puzzle file directly on your site
• HTML5 Crossword Solver: upload .puz to Crossword Nexus site or host code on yours; open source
• Since it was unclear if PuzzleMe would be free for non-profits or whether they would require a license,
  I began using HTML5 Crossword Solver (installed locally) for Ashland.news and my newer crosswords;
  it's also faster to get the puzzle set up and running. example showing both applets
• Gallery: Solving Applets in Browsers: * marks IFRAME-compatible sites
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Other web-based viewers, solvers, .puz

References / Examples

• Publishing a Puzzle - my experience Sam Brody; Universal
• NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle, Part 5: Resources;
  The Crossword Editors's Job
  A First Look at the Theme; Moving On to the Fill; On Which Day of the Week Should the Puzzle Run?
  Digging Into the Clues: On writing fresh clues; On repeating words in the grid and the clues;
  "Say" clues and question mark clues; Fill-in-the-blank clues
  On the consistency between clues and answers; On brand names; Ac-cen-tu-ate the Positive?
  the submitted puzzle (before editing): clues; web, .pdf, .puz; 8/17/2018
• On Editing a Crossword Will Shortz & Joel Fagliano; editorial thought process,
  before/after clues (NYT example: Sat, 12/20/2014); NYT; 12/29/2014
  Xwordinfo.com version lists clues in table, with links to other clue options
• The Hidden Bigotry of Crosswords The popular puzzles are largely written and edited
  by older white men, who dictate what makes it into the grid -- and what is kept out; Atl; 3/18/2020
• How a Crossword Is Made video: 2:26; Will Shortz; 11/8/2012
• Crossword Constructor's Handbook (Berry) Chapter 6: Odds and Ends
  Submitting Your Puzzle for Publication: E-mail, paper
• The Art of Crossword Construction (Johnston):
  Preparing for Publication: Submitting puzzles to editors; Creating puzzles for online presentation
• How to construct a crossword puzzle for the New York Times
  Alex Boisvert, Crossword Nexus; video: 9:44; publish: @7:50; 4/23/2013;

• 
  

  Walkthrough: Making a Puzzle with CrossFire

• WordPlay documentary: Will Shortz accepts puzzle; NYT publishes;
  solvers enjoy: @0:31:06, @0:38:08, @0:44:50
• Example: OLLI (next subsection)
• CROSSWORDS and YOU: Authoring: References:Editors, References:Publishers