The most common reasons we reject crossword puzzles
“What’s the most common reason a crossword puzzle submission doesn’t make the cut to be published?” — Meredith (from Instagram) From Christina: I personally review roughly 100 submissions a week, a vast majority of which are rejected. There are many reasons we might pass on a puzzle, but by far the most common is that the theme feels too familiar. Sometimes it’s the type of wordplay itself that lacks freshness. Hidden word or anagram themes, for instance, are tough to get excited by without some extra twist. Or, sometimes it’s the subject matter of the puzzle. Puzzles about colors, animals or elements have to be pretty special for us to take one, because we’ve seen so many. A lot of newer crossword constructors are drawn to the same theme ideas. For instance, since most themes have four or five theme entries, there are certain groups of items that end up feeling like a natural starting place for a crossword theme. It seems like just about every constructor has tried to make a theme about the four seasons, card suits, cardinal directions or the four baseball bases. Besides familiarity, the other most common reasons a puzzle is rejected are:
Solve Friday’s Crossword on Easy Mode!
In today’s Wordplay column, Deb Amlen writes about the great entries in this puzzle. For expert hints on today’s puzzle, read her column here. Were you able to solve the Friday puzzle with Easy Mode? We want your input! Share your experience with us on the X platform, on Threads or by email. A Quick Cool-DownHow fast can you solve today’s Mini?
Get a ClueMy favorite clue from last week is 24-Down from Saturday, June 28. 24-Down: Leaves mixed up?
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