Making Crossword Puzzles

Are you planning on making crossword puzzles on your own? Not only is it a lot of fun, but you also get to learn a lot in the process. I do not claim expertise in making crossword puzzles, in any way. I would just like to share some tips borne out of my own experience in trying my hand at making crossword puzzles. Ergo, I wrote this article to share the excitement of being a crossword puzzle creator. Read on to get an insight into what it takes to make a crossword puzzle.

What are Crosswords?
Crossword puzzles are word puzzles in which you fill in a square grid with words, guessed by using clues provided. It is like a jigsaw puzzle of words, with hints. Along with Sudoku puzzles, crosswords are a rage world over. Wordsmiths around the world keep churning out crosswords on a daily basis, which are published in leading dailies. People spend hours together solving these puzzles all around the world in various languages.

Crossword Puzzle Basics
For those who came in late, that is people who are new to solving crossword puzzles, here is an introduction to the basics of solving crosswords. The crossword puzzle is a square grid partially filled with diagonally symmetrical black squares. That means, if there is a black square on the top left corner, then there has to be a black square on the bottom right. The rest of the blank squares are to be filled with words that can be guessed from the clues provided alongside the puzzle. The words to be filled across each other and overlap. That is why, they are called 'cross-word' puzzles. The beginning square of every word to be filled in, is numbered and the clues are given according to those numbers. One important rule of crossword puzzle is that words are either filled vertically downwards or horizontally from left to right. The words that have to be filled vertically downwards, along with their clues are classified as 'Down', while the words which are filled horizontally along with their clues are classified as 'Across'.

Tips on Making Crossword Puzzles
It requires a mastery over vocabulary, deep knowledge of various subjects, a capacity to make wordplay and a lot of guile to come up with a devious crossword puzzle. After that brief review of crossword puzzle basics, let me share some tips, which will help you in making your own crossword puzzles. You can use the 'Table' option in any word editor software like Microsoft word to create your crossword.

Choose Words and Devise Devious Clues
Select words that you intend to place in the grid. Let them be such, that they could be overlapped down and across each other. The selected words shouldn't be from your own private self developed vocabulary, but should be found in any general dictionary. That is, they should be valid referenced words. The most important and most difficult task that is involved in creating crossword puzzles is coming up with devious clues for selected words. The clues have to be such that they indirectly point out the word in a cryptic fashion. Avoid too many three or four letter words. Make a list of words along with the clues. You may choose to select words according to a theme. You could select all math terms and create a math crossword puzzle or select all computer jargon terms and create a computer crossword puzzle.

Decide on Grid Size, Place Words Down & Across and Fill Black Squares
Next thing to decide is the grid size for your puzzle. Standard medium-sized puzzles that appear in dailies are 15x15 grids. You could go for bigger ones of the dimensions of 17x17, 19x19, 21x21 or even a 23x23 grid if you want.

Interweave the words downwards and across the grid and make sure that words are placed horizontally from left to right and vertically downwards. Every filling square should be part of a 'Down' word and an 'Across' word!

Decide on the number of black squares and arrange the words such that the black squares are easily place diagonally opposite. A rule is to have one sixth of squares filled black. This is easier said than done. Every square that is not filled with black color, has to be filled with words. So, lesser the number of black squares, more the number of words that you must come up with along with clues.

Next place numbers row wise at the starting square of every word. If there are still any white spaces left, you need to come up with words to fit in there, along with corresponding clues. If you manage to take care of all these conditions, your crossword puzzle should be ready!

As you can see, making your own crossword puzzles is no simple task. It requires a lot of guile and planning, along with word mastery. However, it is all worthwhile, as you get to learn a lot in solving and making crossword puzzles!