A Guide to Crossword Puzzle Making

 

Crossword puzzles are fun and help keep the mind agile. These aid educators teach students to connect concepts to vocabulary. Some also find making crosswords just as rewarding as solving one. Puzzles can be simple or very involved depending on the maker's interest level.

 

There are three major considerations for puzzle making: laying the basics; creating clues; and conforming to norms. Some people want to make a crossword puzzle during their free time.

 

Laying the basics is about the following:

 

1.  Puzzle grid size must to conform to specific dimensions. Casual puzzles, though, can have any size the maker wants. The creator can manually do a puzzle to the size he fancies, but most online puzzle makers restrict grid size to a specified range.

 

It is usual to prepare a word list based on an underlying theme. That theme (or clue referring to the theme) usually becomes the title of the puzzle.

 

Unused squares on the grid are blacked-off once the words are laid out. US convention dictates there should be no "hanging words", or words that do not connect to other words; UK crosswords, however, allow it. Phrase answers must not contain spaces between words. There is no distinction between capitals or small case, since writing crossword answers are normally done in capital letters. Punctuation marks are also not part of crossword puzzles. Most online software automatically layout words. All the user does is specify puzzle size and input the list of words and clues. Visit us at crosswordhobbyist.com for more details.

 

Words are numbered starting from the upper left corner, post-fixing horizontal word numbers with "A" and "D" for those running downwards. Online software can simplify he effort. For more facts and info regarding crossword puzzles, you can go to http://www.ehow.com/how_6239741_make-crossword-puzzle-microsoft-word.html.

 

5.  Create a "copy" of the puzzle with another having a numbered grid sans the letters (for use of the solver later on). The copy with numbers and letters serves as the "answer key" and will be the reference for creating the clues.

 

Creating clues relates to the following:The following relates to creating clues:

 

1.  Note down the straight-forward clues (easiest to write and solve). Educational or simple puzzles usually have quick clues exclusively while challenging "professional" puzzles adopt the reverse.

 

Indirect clues that use metaphors or lateral thinking increase the challenge a notch more.

 

3.  Cryptic puzzles rely on word play and usually involve multiple levels of puzzling out.

 

Clues are numbered in accordance to their placement in the puzzle.  Clues are numbered corresponding to their placement in the puzzle. Clues are grouped for horizontal words separately from vertical words, both groups sorted in ascending numerical order.

 

The following is involved when conforming to norms (making the crossword official):

 

Professional crosswords adhere to standards published by Simon and Schuster.

 

When the diagram is flipped 180 degrees, the arrangement of the black-out spaces on the grid is a mirror image.

 

Two-letter words must not be used; three-letter ones sparingly.

 

Puzzle words, as a rule, must be referenced, i.e., found in a dictionary, atlas, literary work, textbook, almanac, etc., (though there are exceptions but should be avoided if possible).

 

Observation of one-time use of words is a must (though certain themes give some flexibility).

 

6.  Great puzzles make the longest words the most closely tied words (or phrases) to the theme of a themed puzzle.