CROSSWORDS: Authoring

Quotes | Summary | Paper | Web | Apps | Which to Use | Examples

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Quotes

• "Crossword culture has, however, been shaped by technological, economic, and social forces that
  have led women to feel unwelcome, underutilized, and underestimated in its already niche community."
  from book: "The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle"
• "Crosswords, like any art,... should reflect life." ~Will Shortz
• "Lisa: Guess what, mom? I'm a cruciverbalist!...
  Marge: Oh, Lisa, another religion? You know, you'll just drop the whole thing
  at college when you get a Jewish boyfriend." ~The Simpsons
• "I think of the indie [crossword] world like... we're all craft beer brewers.
  The Times is a Budweiser lager; the indies are small-batch saisons and IPAs."
  ~Brendan Emmett Quigley, a professional puzzle constructor;
  Indie Crossword Puzzlers Are Shaking Up A Very Square World
• "My being a writer and playing Scrabble are connected....
  If I have a good writing day, I'll take a break and play online Scrabble.
  My favorite word as a child was 'carrion,' before I knew what it meant.
  I later created crossword puzzles, which was a lot about puns, and
  how words would create these strange, strange things." ~Meg Wolitzer
• "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
• Q: What do crossword puzzle editors do to relax?...
  A: NOT CROSSWORDS!
• "At the junction of 'across' and 'down'...
  The double-duty letter bears the strain
  Of intersecting words, which devilry
  Has crucified in clues to prod the brain..." ~Crossword Puzzle poem; 2/1/2014
• "There is a formal poetry... only in form, all dressed up and nowhere to go.
  The number of syllables, the designated and required stresses of accent, the rhymes if wanted --
  they all come off with the skill of a solved crossword puzzle." ~Carl Sandberg
• "Complexity can be a trap... You can have a ball developing a phrase, inverting it,
  playing it in different keys and times and all. But it's really more introspective than communicative.
  Like a crossword puzzle compared to a poem." ~Paul Desmond, musician

Summary

• Crossword constructors create puzzles for many of the same reasons discussed for solvers.
• 'constructors' may be referred to as cruciverbalists, though this often refers to solvers also
• -- or as 'composers', 'setters' or 'compilers' for cryptics in UK / British Commonwealth countries
• This course section introduces construction, broadly and briefly:
• tools: using paper, web sites and apps
• types:
• 1) free-form -- sometimes called 'vocabulary' or 'criss-cross' [above right]

• 
  

  2) symmetric, fully-crossed, newspaper-style -- 'standard' [on right]

• size: 5 x 5, 15 x 15, 21 x 21, etc.; other shapes
• style: themed or themeless
• A longer course -- Constructing Crosswords -- dives deeper,
  with a more focused Approach:
• tools: using an app -- not paper or web-based tools
• type, size, style: only 'standard' 15 x 15 themed puzzles
• The overall Process is fundamentally the same for any crossword:
• Prepare: understand audience; know basic rules;
  check publisher guidelines (if submitting);
  identify/install tools; dictionaries
• Theme: develop and place long theme entries
• Themeless and mini puzzles: seed with several interesting entries.
• Grid: create arrangement of blocks (black squares),
  constrained by symmetry, number of blocks and word length;
  for free-form, auto-generate grid from word list
• Fill: add other 'lively', clueable entries
• Clues: create imaginative/challenging clues while following conventions
• Publish or distribute
• video: How a Crossword Puzzle Gets Made 3:32; Mike Vuolo; Slate; 11/12/2014
• video: How to construct a crossword 2:25; The Passionate Eye: Across and Down; 10/2022
• subsections: References | Examples | Paper | Web Sites | Applications | Which to Use?

References

• How to Make a Crossword Puzzle NYT; 5-part series; 9/2018
• Crossword Constructor's Handbook by Patrick Berry; .pdf; 89pp; $10
• The Art of Crossword Construction by Will Johnston; .pdf; 7pp; free
• How Crossword Puzzles Are Really Made by Matt Gaffney; MF; 9/10/2014
• Course reference sections: Constructors; Dictionaries; Editors; Formats; Publishing; Tools

Examples

• Paper: Merl Reagle Hand-Constructs a Crossword excerpts from WordPlay documentary
• Website: ArmoredPenguin.com: create a free-form puzzle
• Applications:
• Crossword Compiler: free-form (OLLI vocabulary) [below]
• Crossword Compiler: 17 x 17; Beer theme [below]
• Crossword Compiler: Creating a Standard American Puzzle for Publication .pdf
• Crossword Compiler: gallery screenshots
• CrossFire: 5 x 5; CROSS & WORDS [below]
• CrossFire: 15 x 15; NYT: How to Make a Crossword Puzzle [below]
• CrossFire: 15 x 15; OLLI theme [below]
• CrossFire: Walkthrough: Making a 15 x 15 Puzzle

Paper / Manual

• graph paper & pencil, or spreadsheet; dictionary & thesaurus
• general purpose app, e.g., text editor or spreadsheet to layout, save and print a puzzle.
• optional: enter puzzle into tagged text file;
  import into Across Lite;
  export as .puz and nicely formatted .pdf
• + ultimate flexibility
• - time consuming to create
• (not recommended)
• Refs: Authoring: MS Office: Word, Excel; Google Docs, Sheets

Example: "WORD PLAY" by Merl Reagle

• view manual construction from WordPlay documentary @ 0:16:12, 0:19:19, 0:24:44,
  0:31:06, 0:38:08, 0:44:50; YouTube excerpt: verifying "REDTOP"
• listed in Will Shortz Picks His Favorite Puzzles from his 2011 puzzle collection
• NYT, Tue, 5/31/2005 solution, stats

Web Sites

• this section covers free-form puzzles using a web-based form
  to specify entries, clues, generation & layout options
• + simple to use
• + free or inexpensive
• + browser-based (any platform)
• + auto-generate grid layouts; grid grows to incorporate more words

• 
  

  + print; save locally or online?

• - grids fairly sparse; not fully crossed
• - output formats: usually print, sometimes interactive online
• - some may require you to view ads, create an account, or pay for advanced features
• - entering clue/answer info into separate fields can be tedious
• - if import supported, sites may use different formats or separator characters
• AmuseLabs(PuzzleMe): AI Crossword Generation criss cross entries & clues based on a topic
• other AI tools/discussion

• 
  

  Some selected sites sites support free-form, vocabulary-style puzzle, esp. for education:

• ArmoredPenguin -- example below; [image: right]
• Class Tools
• Crossword Labs
• Crossword Publisher [image: top right]
• CrosswordPuzzleGames
• Discovery Education
• edHelper
• MyCrosswordMaker; newspaper-style included
• Puzzle-Maker
• Puzzlepad background img; .jpg
• The Teacher's Corner
• Tools for Educators text or image clues from categories
• Variety Games
• WordMint
• Xwords Generator
• Next section will summarize apps for constructing symmetric, fully-crossed, standard puzzles:
  browser-based, e.g., Crosserville, Crosshare; stand-alone, e.g., CrossFire, Crossword Compiler.

Example: ArmoredPenguin

• Add a Title, Author; many options: square size & shading, etc.
• Enter answers and clues manually?
• Or, edit/save a local text file; each line contains answer:clue
  Text file name: Choose File (download demo file); Load Puzzle
• Make Puzzle
• Revise words, clues, layout, etc.? Bkgd: gray; min groups: 1 [image: right]
• Printable PDF (example .pdf), Answer Key, Online, etc.

Applications

• stand-alone apps to construct puzzles, e.g., Crossword Compiler, CrossFire
• see Authoring: Applications section: selected desktop authoring applications & web sites
• + clue numbering; grid generation?
• + dictionary for reference or auto-fill-in
• + create other types of crosswords and puzzles?
• + output in variety of formats: interactive / static web page, .puz, .pdf, .jpg, NYT submission; Word
• + various platforms, i.e., Windows (Win*); Macintosh (Mac); Linux (Lnx); web (e.g., Crosserville, Crosshare)
  *if desired app is not 'cross-platform' it may be possible to run it in a VM (virtual machine) on your OS,
  e.g., Crossword Compiler (Windows app) via Parallels (VM) on macOS
• - learning curve
• - cost for professional features, additional dictionaries and/or software upgrades

Which to Use?

• Some considerations
• style: free-form and/or standard crossword
• purpose: fun, publication, ...
• app & tool platform: Mac, Win, Linux -- or web browser?
• cost
• support
• dictionaries, databases for filling
• output formats: print-only, .puz, web, etc.
• other features?

What Steve had used until 2018

• Constructing (standard, free-form) Crossword Compiler; Authoring: Apps: CC
  -- on Mac running Windows via VM: [originally] CrossOver; [later] Parallels
• drawbacks: CrossOver incompatibility; system complexity/size;
  upgrade costs for Parallels, Windows -- and Crossword Compiler
• Interactive web solving: Crossword Compiler applet (JS); other options

What Steve is using now

• Constructing (standard): CrossFire: Mac, Win, Linux; $50 (one-time);
  Authoring: Apps: CrossFire
• add-on: XWord Info Scored Word List; NYT-only; $50/year ('Angel')
• add-on: Spread the Word(List); free; updated quarterly
• add-on: Cruciverb Word Lists; (unscored) all.txt, nyt.txt; $39/year ('Gold')
• add-on: Matt Ginsberg's Cluer Database App: Mac, Win, Lnx; free no longer updated
• initial grid layouts (based on theme entry lengths): cruciverb.com, crosserville.com
• exploring fill more quickly: Ingrid -- or as a complete alternative to CrossFire?
• Constructing (free-form): free web-based generator (above)
  or Crossword Maker For Cruciverbalists (CMFC); iOS; free -- no longer avail
• Copy layout to CrossFire (w/ symmetry disabled) for cluing, publishing?
• Interactive web solving: PuzzleMe applet (JS); other options

Example: Crossword Compiler (CC): Free-form grid

• Theme words: same demo words as above, w/o clues
• New: Free-form/vocabulary: 15 x 15
• If not enough words fitting, Size: Two squares larger (increase as necessary),
  or prune word list (and start over)
• If several grids generated, flip through layouts to pick your favorite. Accept
• CC > Clue > Review/edit clues
• CC > File > Information: add title, author, etc.
• CC > File > Export: (many formats, options), e.g., .pdf, .jpg, .puz
• optional: import .puz into Across Lite to generate print versions of puzzle & solution (my preference)
• CC > File > Web export > Export to Files -- interactive version for a web site

Example: CrossFire: 5 x 5 (mini)

• Besides CrossFire, you could create same puzzle with free web sites: Crosserville, Crosshare
• Create new grid; horizontal: 5, vertical: 5
• Add 2 grid squares for a variety of length words: 3, 4, 5
• Place 'seed' (ala theme) words: 1A: "OLLI" (top row); 1D: "OSHER"; 3D: "LEARN" (2nd 'L' column)
• Let's add: "Q" (below 'I'). IQS would be nice but red square warns no letter fits. Unfillable based on current dictionaries!
• Replace with: "Z" -- one letter is only option in 2 squares, i.e., IZE, SUEZ
• Grid > Quick Fill -- successful, though with some obscure entries; Undo
• Recognize patterns and add words ourselves, or lookup word patterns separately,
  e.g., crosswordtracker.com Answer: ?H?AE
• I've added some dictionaries to CrossFire:XWordInfo word list and cluer database
• Iterate through Fill: Best Location to find better entries.
• If unfillable or uninteresting fill, identify problem area.
• For more possibilities, change and/or move seed words to different locations, and/or change grid,
  e.g., remove "Z", shift "LEARN", and/or add "SOU" in first column.
• Grid > Quick Fill?
• Fill incrementally, i.e., Fill: Best Location
• Select recommended (higher score) entry or add your own.
• Next entry -- repeat.
• Write clues
• Review. Publish?
• Other 5 x 5 examples: "Crucigramitas"

Video: How a Crossword Puzzle Gets Made (Vuolo)

How a Crossword Puzzle Gets Made 3:32; Mike Vuolo; Slate; 11/12/2014

Example: CrossFire: (NYT) How to Make a Crossword Puzzle

• featured in: Wordplay 5-part series 4/2018-9/2018
• Part 1: theme two NYT constructors, Ben Tausig and Finn Vigeland,
  demystify the process of developing a theme set
• Part 2: grid puzzle makers David Steinberg and Natan Last design
  a crossword grid around our theme set
• Part 3: fill Kevin Der and Paolo Pasco pull back the curtain on the work
  that goes into filling a crossword with fun and interesting entries
• Part 4: clues Robyn Weintraub and Brad Wilber clue us in;
  the submitted puzzle (before editing): web, .pdf, .puz
• Part 5: publishing In the final part of this series, the New York Times crossword editors
  reveal their process for evaluating and editing a puzzle submission;
  resources that were mentioned in this series -- word lists, software, online resources, places to go for questions
  -- are included in a single list at the end to assist aspiring constructors

Example: CrossFire: American 15 x 15; theme: "OLLI"

• Featured in longer OLLI course: Constructing Crosswords
• developing a theme
• designing a grid
• filling-in other words
• writing clues
• publishing or distributing; finished puzzle

Example: Crossword Compiler: American 17 x 17

• Theme: Single Hill Brewing Co. in Yakima, WA
• Theme answers (=7) (after some experimentation):
  1@17, 2@15, 2@13, 2@11 letters
• Ambitious -- 15 x 15 with 3-4 long theme answers
  is more typical, and easier to construct
• New: American 17 x 17 grid; Fit Theme Words;
  if not all fit, revise list or grid size
• Choose most 'open' grid layout (with fewest bottlenecks)
• If Fill options too limited, use additional word lists,
  move equal size theme answers to other rows or columns
  -- or, revise theme words and repeat
• Look for opportunities to add other theme-related words?
• Divide&conquer: identify, close/isolate,
  (auto)fill 'hardest/tightest' areas first; write clues; review; ...
• Finished puzzle

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