The only exception is if you have an entry running across the center, which wouldn’t have a symmetrical partner. TAUSIG: Whatever the lengths, they have to be paired to meet another rule of crossword constructing: most themed grids are diagonally symmetrical for aesthetic reasons. VIGELAND: Indeed, we’ll need pairs of equally long theme answers so that we can obey one of the more rigid rules of crosswords: placing your theme answers in symmetrical positions in the grid. That’s something we’ll want to keep track of while we brainstorm. He also put the letter count in parentheses. Note that Finn put the name of the theme-answer-to-be, TRIXIE MATTEL, in all-caps, which is a common convention. Let’s take a quick aside to talk about mechanics.
I’m not sure yet how we might draw a connection, but there is potential here! VIGELAND: Speaking of toys and games, I was just watching the finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” which was won by TRIXIE MATTEL (12), and Mattel is of course a game manufacturer. Any words or phrases on your mind today that we can start with?
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I think it will be most instructive to show readers how to develop a theme, rather than tell them, so let’s allow our minds to wander and see what we come up with. It’s all about letting your mind wander to the right places. VIGELAND: But it’s wonderful how, just when you think every theme has been done before, new theme ideas (or at least new twists on old ones) keep coming out of the woodwork. TAUSIG: Coming up with the theme is arguably the hardest part of creating a crossword. The theme entries also come before the other shorter words in the grid, which are called the “fill.” In a themed puzzle, the theme anchors the grid. I’m often asked which comes first, the grid or the clues, and the answer is: the grid. A great place to begin and the topic that aspiring constructors must master first.įINN VIGELAND: Creating the theme is the first thing you do for a themed puzzle. Let’s watch them work it out.īEN TAUSIG: Ah, themes! The heart of most daily crossword puzzles. Themes and theme entries should be accessible to everyone.” If the theme includes a particular kind of pun, for example, then all the puns should be of that kind.
“Themes should be fresh, interesting, narrowly defined and consistently applied throughout the puzzle. The New York Times looks for “intelligent, literate, entertaining and well-crafted crosswords that appeal to the broad range of Times solvers,” according to its crossword puzzle submission guidelines.
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There are many ways to make a puzzle, of course, but this series will highlight the basics. Follow along as pairs of published New York Times constructors pass the creation of a crossword puzzle from hand to hand, taking us through the process of developing a theme, designing a workable grid, filling the entire grid and writing the clues. “How to Make a Crossword Puzzle” is a response to reader questions about how constructors move from an idea to a completed puzzle that is ready for submission. The crossword puzzles that solvers dig into every day are a combination of sweat, creativity and a knowledge of the basic rules of constructing, which is what making a puzzle is called. DEB AMLEN: Learning to solve crossword puzzles is not easy, but learning to make them is even harder.
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