New York Times, Friday, November 15, 2013

I started puzzling and constructing around the same time. Which is to say I started out only being able to solve (and construct) Monday and Tuesday puzzles. The act of constructing rapidly improved my solving ability by introducing me to so many words and phrases that are put in then taken out of tricky corners. It also led to me developing certain rules that I will always try to follow in my grids. For instance, I will never have a corner with only one entry point. I think it cheapens the building as well as the solving experience.

For this puzzle, I was most proud of the Northwest, with CASH BARS on OSCAR WAO on NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS. Didn't notice until it was too late that AND crosses ANDS. Oh well. I went back and forth on whether to include NOONER but decided to keep it (SOONER/MISCUES would have worked as well with some other changes to the Southwest). Really wanted KRUPKE in the Northeast but couldn't make it work. Hardest part to fill was the Southeast. Was honestly surprised that ACE DEUCE was accepted.

This is David Woolf's debut. All three 15-letter answers are particularly nice. OSCAR WAO was new to me, but I've read up a little on the book since accepting the puzzle, and the entry feels eminently crossword-worthy.

Debut! Some great entries today; I love to see snappy phrases like CASH BARS and SEA OTTERS, and it's nice that OSCAR WAO gets his due. I haven't read that book yet (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao) but it's on my TBR (to be read) list. And seeing SODIUM PENTOTHAL down the center of the grid was really cool.

Themeless construction is a tough way to break into the crosswords game. The more typical path is to make a few themed crosswords working with 78-word grids, practicing filling tiny 4x4 or smaller sections cleanly. I had been constructing for nearly a year before attempting my first themeless, and it was a full notch harder than I expected. It's so rough to balance everything, trying to work in snazzy long entries (usually prioritizing multiple-word answers like NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS) while minimizing the rough stuff.

There's a lot of neat work here. SODIUM PENTOTHAL crossing THE TRUTH WILL OUT was pretty cool. I had to look up the latter, but was glad I did, since it's something I should have recognized. It's a fun change of pace to get a sort of mini-theme when you're not expecting it.

The NE corner is a bit rough. There are some answers I enjoy learning, like TATARY, which my ancestors apparently ruled (people* whisper in awe that I likely have some Genghis Khan blood running through my veins). Other things like KARSTS which will likely never come up in my lifetime, aren't as fun to uncover. It was right by NIIHAU (I'm mixed on that one but more positive than negative) and TATARY, so the confluence detracted from my solving enjoyment.

Good workout today. A final note, it's amazing how much one clue can color my personal solving experience. The clue for SNAPE ("He cast the Killing Curse on Dumbledore") made me choke up, remembering the first time I read Harry Potter book six. It gave me a mixture of melancholy tinged with the amazing experience of reading that entire series, leaving me with a positive memory of the puzzle. That's one way a clue can be great.

*me, mostly