![]() ![]() The MATTEL in TRIXIE MATTEL has nothing to do with the company, which would have made her an excellent entry in this theme set. We want phrases that don’t have to do with the actual toy companies - we lose the wordplay aspect if LEGOLAND was a theme entry, because LEGO in there already refers to the company. Unfortunately, after a quick consultation of the Wikipedia list of game manufacturers, I see that we might be out of luck. Can we find phrases with HASBRO or LEGO that have nothing to do with the game companies themselves? To make a consistent theme from this, we would need to find at least three phrases with the name of a game company in them. ![]() Namely, the “game” aspect of our theme is in the word MATTEL. TAUSIG: TRIXIE MATTEL is a great spark, but I can already see a limitation. We’ll aim for a total theme entry letter count of about 40 letters for an easy theme like the one we’re making today. A theme entry set with two (13)s and one (15) would still have symmetry if the (15) ran in the middle row. 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. Any words or phrases on your mind today that we can start with? 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. 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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