Subject: CHAT! - Crossword Writing General
Posted by: kyleisalive
Date: Jul 10 21
If you've been here on this site for a while, then you are probably aware of this little corner, tucked away-- the Author's Lounge Chat Board. It's a board of challenges and discussion and workshopping and all manner of things for our site's creators.
If you've been here longer than 12 years, then you might remember a time before the Lounge-- a lawless FunTrivia plagued by disorder, chaos, and spontaneous, difficult chatter.
This thread here-- to celebrate our dozenth year-- is just a thread for crossword creator chatter. Why? Because quizzes aren't all we do around here! Some of our creators craft elaborate puzzles and act as master wordsmiths and problem-solvers. This chat here is for ideas, thoughts, hang-ups and stumbling blocks and all you want regarding crossword creation.
Thanks again for TWELVE YEARS of the Author's Lounge.
Posted by: kyleisalive
Date: Jul 10 21
If you've been here on this site for a while, then you are probably aware of this little corner, tucked away-- the Author's Lounge Chat Board. It's a board of challenges and discussion and workshopping and all manner of things for our site's creators.
If you've been here longer than 12 years, then you might remember a time before the Lounge-- a lawless FunTrivia plagued by disorder, chaos, and spontaneous, difficult chatter.
This thread here-- to celebrate our dozenth year-- is just a thread for crossword creator chatter. Why? Because quizzes aren't all we do around here! Some of our creators craft elaborate puzzles and act as master wordsmiths and problem-solvers. This chat here is for ideas, thoughts, hang-ups and stumbling blocks and all you want regarding crossword creation.
Thanks again for TWELVE YEARS of the Author's Lounge.
20 replies. On page 1 of 1 pages. 1
kyleisalive
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This is a good opportunity to ask our crossword Lounge authors...which type of challenges did you prefer? -Challenges where you're given a title. -Challenges where you're given a category or theme. -Challenges where you're given a specific words or letter sequences. -Challenges where you need to construct a uniquely shaped puzzle. And where do you think we could go next? Reply #1. Jul 10 21, 9:47 PM |
pollucci19 
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Of the four options above I prefer the provision of a category or a theme. This is the one that is most likely going to take me out of my comfort zone and look for something new. I now have a number of crosswords on line that are on Postmodernism, a subject that I would never have approached on my own volition. Reply #2. Jul 11 21, 5:41 PM |
| pollucci19
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That's not to say that I don't enjoy the other options above. Specific words in a grid is very engaging but (a) it won't necessarily take me out of the areas I know best and (b) eventually the challenge will dissipate and bore me. Reply #3. Jul 11 21, 5:44 PM |
| kyleisalive
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To note, none of this is to say these approaches won't come back. :) Reply #4. Jul 11 21, 6:27 PM |
psnz
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At this point, my crossword creating is in its infancy. At this point, I best enjoy working to a theme, particularly trying to minimise fillers or work them into the puzzle's overall message. Reply #5. Jul 11 21, 7:39 PM |
| psnz
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As to future directions, manipulating clues is something I've been thinking about. For example, a crossword with only two-word clues. Reply #6. Jul 11 21, 7:41 PM |
bernie73
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A crossword puzzle with only two word clues sounds like a good idea for a future Challenge Contract. :) I find that the challenges I to which I respond the best are ones that are specific in some ways but are open in other ways. If you tell me the CW needs to be fully symmetrical and medium size and have this specific title and be about this specific subject and etc., I am going to be a lot less interested in working on it. If I finally turn to it, its likely that its finally reached a ridiculous number of points and/or I'll actually gotten tired of seeing it in the queue and want to get it out of there as opposed to enjoying the challenge. I'm not sure if that mindset leads to products as good as when the author enjoys the challenge. Reply #7. Jul 11 21, 9:17 PM |
moonraker2
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I think without doubt my preference is for a challenge which actually provides a real challenge. There is a far greater satisfaction gained when having completed a difficult grid with strict parameters. It's a must for me that grids be symmetric, probably because I have OCD and all things must fit a pattern. The challenge which I would love to see repeated is "Three Little Letters" which 1nn1 organised a couple of years ago. See here:  https://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=30764&boardid=2222222&start=40However, I believe it was necessary for him to undertake a good deal of preparatory work to ensure that each "packet of letters" would enable a satisfactory result to be achievable. Reply #8. Jul 13 21, 10:00 AM |
1nn1
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Moonraker, You are correct. There was a lot of prep work involved but I agree when you solve the challenge it was very satisfying. I have been tinkering with a choose-your-own- letter combination-number Where you choose an unknown packet of 2,3,4 or 5 letter combinations and the size of the packet (ie number of words required is inversely proportional to the size of the letter combination) I don't know which was harder: trying to get 10 five letter combinations into a medium grid or 20 two letter combination into a small grid. If there is enough demand we could have such a challenge but it would need some lag time so the prep work could be done. Reply #9. Jul 13 21, 1:50 PM |
windrush
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I would be interested in that, Nick. I agree with Moonraker that strict parameters and a symmetrical grid are the way to go. (I can but aspire) Reply #10. Jul 25 21, 2:47 PM |
Godwit
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I enjoy the "series" a lot, whatever the make-up. I believe it is fun for players as well to follow from one puzzle to another. I third the idea of manipulating clues. As simple as they have to all start with "S" could keep us up at night. Reply #11. Aug 03 21, 3:34 PM |
| windrush
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Am I allowed to ask why there appears to be a new pattern for crosswords going online? There is a small flurry in late July, followed by zip for 3 or 4 days, another group 2-3 August and 4-5 days hiatus. I understand that the editors have had a HUGE workload in the past few weeks, and are possibly still working behind the scenes on one or two new challenges. As someone who has made a point in recent weeks of submitting a new crossword immediately I know my latest offering is online (And I'm only one of several) I tend to get anxious seeing my submission sit for several days without feedback. Let me hasten to repeat, I understand the pressure editors are sometimes under and this is not a moan about the delay, as a wish to know whether the new pattern of several days' gap in putting any crosswords online is temporary or permanent. Reply #12. Aug 08 21, 2:26 PM |
| kyleisalive
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I honestly don't know how to answer this. Our editors don't plan to be on any specific schedule. If you're looking for patterns, you're never going to find one. While I understand that many will feel anxiety over the turnaround of their submissions, there's not much that we can do to mitigate that (or at least promise to do to mitigate that). We can't promise a schedule; we can't give you an ETA; we can't know how long any one submission will take to be edited. Last week, due to personal work off of FunTrivia, I didn't edit in *any* of my categories (and I didn't have any crosswords in VG). Not one. No quizzes, no single questions. Do people need to know that? Not really. Could I have hopped in and edited something in that time? Hard to say. Sometimes I'll be able to hop in despite being busy; sometimes I won't. Again, there's no pattern. And for anyone to speak on behalf of our other editors on that account would be unreasonable and a bit unfair and, worse than that, misinformative. There are very good reasons we removed the page giving 'Rough Queue Times' for quizzes, most importantly because the page was often wrong/misleading and increased anxiety for authors who were deeply concerned about the turn-around. Every single submission that goes into the queues gets looked at. Every single one. There's not a quiz/question/crossword that goes into the queues that does not leave it. So for whatever current wait there is (that I didn't even know was a thing)-- temporary? permanent? Both and neither. And maybe all at once. Or each. And together. I'm not trying to diminish the concern, but I don't think there can possibly be a way to explain something that's...not a thing. It feels like we're being asked to explain the circumstances in our personal lives that are setting our informal editing pseudo-schedules, and for the vast majority of editors, there's no thought being put towards doing that. Edit: It doesn't appear you have any crosswords queued right now. Reply #13. Aug 08 21, 2:34 PM |
| windrush
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I merely asked a simple question based on the very unusual date patterns of the most recent crosswords by all players, Kyle, and when I asked this question, I had had a crossword queued for 5 days. As there appeared to be little action on the page in general, I wondered whether it was a coincidence or not. And within a minute of my asking the question, my crossword was placed online. Reply #14. Aug 08 21, 2:55 PM |
| kyleisalive
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I apologize if my comment came across as rude or dismissive as that wasn't really the intent. For a very long time, authors here have expressed the concern about queue waits and general eagerness for feedback of any sort-- we even have a thread on the subject (it's pinned up in the EDQ topic here in the Lounge). The truth is that in the past couple of years, turn-around times for submissions have been at a relative low. We've hit a surprisingly good balance in the majority of categories where our editors are at the right amount to handle the submissions with expedience, so to receive concern that a submission might be held up-- while it does happen-- is a bit difficult to sort out. As I noted in my previous message, there's really no accounting for what may or may not hold up a submission or result in a quicker response time, and we aren't necessarily comfortable with disclosing why. If an editor is AFK because they have to travel for a funeral, that's going to hold up the queue a bit, but it's not need-to-know, for instance. So to be asked about queue time patterns is a tough one. My response might have been a bit of misplaced and miscommunicated levity, but it's hard to try to give an answer for something that really doesn't have one. I'm not sure how to give insight here that's going to give you consolation. Our editors don't clock in for work so there is no distinct practice or pattern to speak of, and to dig deeper is, possibly, to pry in a way I'm not particularly comfortable doing. This applies to crosswords, quizzes, and single questions alike. And as I said, all of these get edited-- every one of them-- so nudging to check and make sure that a submission is on its way is likely not to change our editors' personal schedules (which I know isn't the intent). If an editor already is unable to get to the queue quicker, then a double-check isn't really going to do much, and this isn't even accounting for any other submissions that might also be in the queue waiting (perhaps even longer). Reply #15. Aug 08 21, 3:44 PM |
| windrush
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Thank you. Unless the question is asked I cannot know whether I should have asked the question or not. Nuff said. Reply #16. Aug 08 21, 3:56 PM |
agony
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This was written about the quiz queue, but applies equally to CWs. There are several pages of discussion that might be found useful. https://www.funtrivia.com/bb.cfm?action=details&qnid=27853&boardid=2222222 Reply #17. Aug 08 21, 5:40 PM |
| windrush
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Thank you, Agony. But I really wasn't being impatient. My question was based on something else entirely. I really do have some idea of the situation behind the scenes, but it seems every time I ask a question I get a lecture. Reply #18. Aug 09 21, 1:13 AM |
| agony
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Well, I can assure you that we're never going to have a schedule of when puzzles or quizzes are placed online beyond the basics of spacing out the submissions from any individual author, or as part of some specific game or challenge that requires it. If you notice clusters of puzzles going online at one time, it will be because of the way daily life is affecting our editors' time at FT and nothing more. Reply #19. Aug 09 21, 5:56 AM |
| kyleisalive
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Would an avid CW author mind dropping me a line if you have a bit of free time and want to help with a small project (that doesn't involve needing to make a puzzle)? :) Reply #20. May 16 23, 2:14 PM |
20 replies. On page 1 of 1 pages. 1
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