I recently paused over “ ‘You Belong with Me’ singer Taylor.” After discussing it with colleagues, I changed it to “ ‘Shake It Off’ singer Taylor.” Not her most recent hit, but a better clue.Įnsuring that a crossword matches its intended audience is also important. To keep things timely, some clues require updating. Mistakes like these can detract from a solver’s enjoyment.Ī good crossword puzzle contains a mix of facts, wordplay, and pop culture. I recently caught a clue that inadvertently added a t to Nicole Richie’s surname and another that accidentally included its answer: “ Mila 18 author Uris” (answer: URIS). Sometimes, though, the errors are substantive. Each one must be checked for typos, factual errors, and style.įortunately, at Games, many of the crosswords that I work on need only minimal tweaks, like italicizing titles or correcting minor errors, such as inserting a missing hyphen or closing an extra space. A standard 15-by-15 crossword contains roughly 75 clues. With those principles in mind, I begin by editing the clues. Those grids must be square, with an odd number of white spaces on each side. Thanks to her, there are no one- or two-letter answers, all white spaces must interlock, and black squares shouldn’t take up more than one-sixth of the grid. She codified standards that crossword creators, called “constructors,” still follow. Margaret Farrar, who edited the New York Times puzzle from 1942 to 1968, is undoubtedly the most influential crossword editor.
Although solvers rarely think of editors, we play a large role in this pastime. Editing crosswords is one of my most enjoyable tasks at Games World of Puzzles magazine.
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