On Dec 7, I asked how long does it take to create a crossword?
My sister and I share the creation of each puzzle. I fill the grid, and Carla writes the clues.
I've timed myself on filling a few grids, and it can vary a lot. To start with, I create an empty grid. If the puzzle is going to be themed, I fill in the theme entries. Then I run Robert T. Morris' crossword filling software on this grid.
In some cases, the software fills the grid completely. In that case, I then have to eyeball the entries, maybe research a word if I don't know it, to make sure that the puzzle is acceptable. "Acceptable" is subjective. For example, I try to avoid having an excessive number of abbreviations as puzzle entries (sometimes this seems to be unavoidable, in particular when filling around a set of themed entries). If there are areas of the puzzle which are not acceptable - which is the usual case - I empty out some of the fill, and rerun the software. Sometimes, I'll edit puzzle entries by hand.
In other cases, the software simply can't fill the grid. In those cases, I'll have to think of a different set of theme entries, or move the entries around in the grid, then run the software again.
All this turns out to be rather time-consuming. So far it seems to take about 3-4 hours for me just to fill the grid - and that's using software to help! In at least one case, however, it only took an hour.
I'm hoping I can speed up this process as I get more experienced with it. I'm truly amazed that some people can create a whole puzzle, including writing the clues, in just 4 hours.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
themeless vs themed puzzles
I like themed crossword puzzles. It's fun to figure out a 15-letter entry when just a few letters are filled in.
I was talking to my sister yesterday, and it turns out that she prefers themeless puzzles because they're harder!
Currently, all of the puzzles at World of Crosswords are themed. But over the next month we'll be adding a few themeless ones. It would be interesting to know whether people prefer themed or themeless, on average.
[Edit] I've set up a poll at cruciverb.com so you can vote for which type you prefer - themed or themeless. There's also a "no preference" option. If you want to express your opinion on the matter, go there, and if you're not already a member, join up so you can vote!
I was talking to my sister yesterday, and it turns out that she prefers themeless puzzles because they're harder!
Currently, all of the puzzles at World of Crosswords are themed. But over the next month we'll be adding a few themeless ones. It would be interesting to know whether people prefer themed or themeless, on average.
[Edit] I've set up a poll at cruciverb.com so you can vote for which type you prefer - themed or themeless. There's also a "no preference" option. If you want to express your opinion on the matter, go there, and if you're not already a member, join up so you can vote!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas puzzle on Dec 25
We've got a Christmas themed puzzle coming up on Dec 25... give it a try!
chocolate chip cookies
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| I'm baking chocolate chip cookies! |
This post is not about crosswords, but cookies! They looked (and tasted) so good, I just had to blog them.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
version 0.1.3
The latest version of the site adds some functionality which is common for many crossword puzzle sites: the ability to get a hint by revealing a highlighted letter, word, or, if you really give up, the entire puzzle.
You can do this by using three new buttons: "show letter", "show word", and "show puzzle". The puzzle solution for the most recent puzzle is not available until one week after it has been released, so the "show puzzle" button is disabled for that puzzle. However, it is enabled for all previous puzzles.
You can do this by using three new buttons: "show letter", "show word", and "show puzzle". The puzzle solution for the most recent puzzle is not available until one week after it has been released, so the "show puzzle" button is disabled for that puzzle. However, it is enabled for all previous puzzles.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
user feedback
We got some user feedback on World of Crosswords: the site is "fun, but a little too challenging."
I'm curious to hear from more users. Are the puzzles too hard? Obviously our puzzles will not be suitable for all solvers. Eventually, we'll add easier puzzles to the site. Meantime, we hope the current selection of puzzles will prove interesting for some crossword enthusiasts.
I'm curious to hear from more users. Are the puzzles too hard? Obviously our puzzles will not be suitable for all solvers. Eventually, we'll add easier puzzles to the site. Meantime, we hope the current selection of puzzles will prove interesting for some crossword enthusiasts.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
site outage
World of Crosswords was down between about 9:30 and 10:30 pm EST last night. It might have been down at other times, as well. This happened because Dreamhost was experiencing a DOS attack. Bummer. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
version 0.1.2
In many web browsers, pressing the backspace key returns you to the previous web page.
I've had feedback from several users that it was confusing to have the backspace key behave this way at World of Crosswords; they would prefer that backspace be used to delete the character in the selected cell of the puzzle matrix.
So the site has been updated to behave this way - the backspace key now acts the way it would in a text editor or word processor. We hope you like this new behavior!
The new functionality has been tested in Firefox 8.0, IE 8, Chrome 15.0.874.121 m, and Safari 5.1.1, on a Windows XP machine.
I've had feedback from several users that it was confusing to have the backspace key behave this way at World of Crosswords; they would prefer that backspace be used to delete the character in the selected cell of the puzzle matrix.
So the site has been updated to behave this way - the backspace key now acts the way it would in a text editor or word processor. We hope you like this new behavior!
The new functionality has been tested in Firefox 8.0, IE 8, Chrome 15.0.874.121 m, and Safari 5.1.1, on a Windows XP machine.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
how long does it take to create a crossword?
I'm curious about how long it takes for a cruciverbalist to create a 15x15 crossword puzzle.
Creating the puzzle matrix of letters is one task, and creating the clues is another. Timing each activity would be interesting. I'm sure it can differ wildly, depending on the puzzle and the person.
Tyler Hinman posts the question How long does it take you to make a crossword?, but can't supply an answer. He says "I can't really put a figure on it because I pretty much never make an entire puzzle in one sitting."
Ximenes gives us a little more information. He didn't create American style puzzles, but at least we have some numbers from him. In his essay How Long Does It Take Me?, he starts evasively by saying "It is a difficult question, for I have never composed a crossword at a sitting and seldom in less than half a dozen spasms, nor have I ever timed myself" but then goes on to be more specific:
Seriously? 4-6 hours to build a 15x15 matrix and create all the clues? That is awe-inspiring!
Creating the puzzle matrix of letters is one task, and creating the clues is another. Timing each activity would be interesting. I'm sure it can differ wildly, depending on the puzzle and the person.
Tyler Hinman posts the question How long does it take you to make a crossword?, but can't supply an answer. He says "I can't really put a figure on it because I pretty much never make an entire puzzle in one sitting."
Ximenes gives us a little more information. He didn't create American style puzzles, but at least we have some numbers from him. In his essay How Long Does It Take Me?, he starts evasively by saying "It is a difficult question, for I have never composed a crossword at a sitting and seldom in less than half a dozen spasms, nor have I ever timed myself" but then goes on to be more specific:
If I am lucky and there are no setbacks, the diagram may take about two hours and only one spasm (not including the initial search): if it fights, it may take four hours or more and several spasms...Will Shortz is much more concrete. He gives us the numbers, although he doesn't say where he got them. In answer to the question How long does it take to create a crossword puzzle? he says,
The total time for clues also varies considerably. Sometimes, especially at the beginning of a spasm and in the morning, they come quickly: sometimes, especially at the end of one and in the evening, they come sluggishly; then it pays to stop and come back fresh. I may finish a set in three hours: I may take six — not often more.
It varies according to the size of the puzzle and the difficulty of the construction. On average a daily New York Times crossword takes 4-6 hours for an experienced constructor to make. A Sunday puzzle might take 6-20 hours.
Seriously? 4-6 hours to build a 15x15 matrix and create all the clues? That is awe-inspiring!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
aler and aleros?
Amy Reynaldo complained about the "junky little words" ALER and ALEROS appearing close by in today's NY Times crossword puzzle.
I know our puzzles are far from perfect yet, but this is one thing we're trying to avoid - entries that are repetitive, even in part.
I know our puzzles are far from perfect yet, but this is one thing we're trying to avoid - entries that are repetitive, even in part.
html5 .puz viewer
I discovered this interesting widget via Amy Reynaldo's blog: an html5 .puz viewer developed by Derek Slager. Pretty cool! I tried it out in Chrome, and it works great!
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