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Editors keep it crossword clue2/27/2023 There are, of course, 4x3x2x1 = 24 ways of doing this. Next, I type the theme entries into their positions. There are several 12x4 grids from which to choose. In this example, I'll try to use four 12-letter entries: NUNSONTHERUN, RUNAWAYBRIDE, COOLRUNNINGS and NOWHERETORUN. The software includes plenty of stock grids, and these can be sorted by theme entry length. While it's more expensive than the average shareware purchase (with the options I chose, it cost about $150), a modestly successful constructor can cover that expense by selling two or three puzzles. Most constructors use software such as Crossword Compiler to aid in filling a grid, a task once done by hand. If adding or removing a symmetric pair of black squares would result in cleaner fill (about which more below), do it. When you begin making crosswords, a stock grid will suffice, but it is important to tweak the grids as necessary. Other combinations are possible, but these are the most common. Usually, you can choose a grid with theme entries of the following lengths: Finally, a puzzle needs to have at least three theme entries, or four if they're particularly short entries. This forces the matching entry to also be 14 letters long. A 14-letter entry in a 15x15 grid must be padded with a black square at the beginning or the end, for example, and that black square must also appear in its symmetrically opposite location. Second, because of symmetry, you can use entries of even length only in pairs. First, most puzzles produced for sale in the American market are 15x15, so the first entry is one letter too long. Because there are so many candidates, I have lots of choices for my grid. This is a pretty good field from which to choose theme entries. A search on IMDb provides a long list, from which I've chosen titles that are recognizable enough to be fair game. You might, for example, try a puzzle using movies with "run" in the title. Since the theme entries are the least flexible part of the grid, a constructor typically begins by identifying these entries. (In one puzzle I sold, the theme entries were CHARLOTTESWEB, ROSEMARYSBABY and SOPHIESCHOICE - all movie titles of the form "".) These almost always follow a theme involving wordplay of some sort. You'll also notice that a few entries are longer than the rest. First, the grid has symmetry if you rotate it by 180 degrees, the pattern remains the same. Take a look at a puzzle such as you might find on and you may notice a few things about it. I'll discuss these steps and talk about how some specialized software and I work together to get this done. The process usually happens in this order: I construct crossword puzzles as a hobby, and to earn pin money ($50-100 per crossword).
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