write a crossword puzzle and have it published.

I am looking for information to help me get crossword puzzles that I create published.

Forwarded to me by my editor:

“I love the bicycling crossword puzzle in the newsletter! I’m a huge NY Times crossword puzzle fan and to get a cycling-themed one once a month is very cool. It’s a pretty good puzzle, too!”

:-D :-D :-D :-D

My first crossword was published in the Courier! Now to write another!

The editor of the Courier said I misspelled “Scappoose”. Argh. Just changing it from Scappouse to Scappoose meant I had to redo a third of the puzzle – and lose the answer of “Kent” to one of the clues!

I also lost “sports bra filler”/MAMMARY. But I did get an answer of “poser”, so important to road cycling.

My mom thinks that I’ve got the talent to compete in crossword puzzle completion contests. She’s wrong – I may be speedy, but I’m nowhere near competition level abilities.

Instead, I’m more interested in crossword puzzle construction.

So, to that end, I wrote an STP-themed puzzle and submitted it to the Cascade Courier. It’s a 15×15 written to NYT standards. Well, as best as I could do to reach NYT standards. I realize that I violated at least one rule – I have a non-theme answer that is longer than some of my themed ones. I also have the answer of “mammary” (probably not allowed in the strictly G-rated NYT puzzle) and an even racier clue for it: “sport bra filler”. I hope the Courier probably isn’t so straight-laced, and doesn’t reject it.

I plan to practice, by writing crosswords on bicycling themes for the Courier or other similar publications. If I get better, maybe I can write a more generally-themed one and get paid.