This year, The Globe revamped its games, offering daily crosswords and other puzzles all in one place.Charles Rex Arbogast/The Canadian Press
On June 29, puzzles and games editor Jess Shulman and digital games lead Jayne Bingler answered reader questions on the giant Canada Day crossword and how The Globe approaches puzzles in general.
This year, The Globe revamped its games, offering daily crosswords and other puzzles all in one place, and is focused on expanding its exclusive Canadian-made offerings for readers.
The Globe and Mail’s giant Canada Day crossword puzzle
Readers asked how the editors write crosswords, focusing on Canadian-made puzzles and if games are good for brain health.
Creating crosswords
How does one actually write a crossword puzzle? It seems like a herculean task to create clever hints, let alone make sure everything fits together.
Jess Shulman: It is a rather herculean task. Crossword “construction,” as it’s called in the biz, starts with coming up with a theme – a set of 4-5 long entries tied together in some cute or clever way. That can be the hardest part – even a simple theme needs to really hang together well in order for it to resonate with solvers.
From there, you build and fill the grid – there are great software tools that make this way easier than it used to be (when it was done on graph paper!) but it’s still quite a process. It can take hours to land on a completed grid that’s filled with fun, interesting words and not too much obscure stuff or “crosswordese.” And then, finally, you get to (or have to, depending on your perspective) write your clues, tailoring them to whatever publication and/or level of difficulty you’re after. It’s a ton of work but very rewarding and fun!
Jayne Bingler: It’s amazing to see Jess make mini crossword every day.
I’m glad to see more Canadian-constructed crossword puzzles. Could you tell us more about that decision?
Shulman: It was a no-brainer; that’s what Canadians want, and it makes it so much fun to see CanCon in there. That’s why we launched the Weekender, the Daily Mini, and the Headliner, and why we now make Fraser Simpson’s cryptic available online and on our app as well as in the paper.
Our goal is to move toward more and more custom/exclusive Canadian crossword puzzles over time, but it’s not as easy as it sounds, of course. Soliciting and editing custom puzzles every day of the week is quite a monumental task. So for now we do still offer syndicated puzzles Monday to Friday. We really love the quality of puzzles we get from our syndication partners, even if they do contain some Americanisms or Britishisms on occasion, but ultimately we hope to keep growing our custom offerings.
Illustration by Euan Murphy
What’s the difference between a regular crossword and a cryptic crossword?
Shulman: I could talk about this all day. The difference really comes down to the clues. In a regular crossword, the clues are really just definitions. They might be easy or hard, and they might be punny or silly etc., but ultimately the clue is just a direct hint to the answer that goes in the grid.
Cryptic clues, on the other hand, follow a whole different structure. You can’t just do cryptics by staring at them longer, you have to learn about how they work. Every clue is a puzzle unto itself. I could talk about them all day, but Fraser Simpson has done a really nice primer for Globe readers, so I’ll point you there.
Cryptics are hard, but so clever and sooo satisfying. If you’re into wordplay (which you are, since you’re here), I highly recommend them.
Bingler: It’s interesting when you meet crossword folks, how often they say, “I could never do a cryptic!” But from what Jess has assured me, once you understand how to solve them you will get addicted.
I was wondering about the themed crosswords on Saturdays. How long does it take to make something like that and who decides what the themes are?
Shulman: We are incredibly proud of our roster of Canadian constructors for our Weekender crossword, which we launched this year.
The themes are proposed by the constructors themselves. I encourage them to pitch their themes to me first, before they go to all the work of building the grid and writing 140+ clues. We often have a lot of back and forth, trying to really work on the theme entries to make sure they’re as fun and clever as they can be.
Once the theme set is finalized, then the constructor goes away to create the grid, and again I take a look before they start cluing (clueing? the great spelling debate) and I might push back and ask them to regrid certain parts if any bits seem like they could be improved. And then they take it away and clue it, and then it comes back to me and I edit all the clues. I check the facts, copy edit for Globe style, adjust for difficulty level, etc. After that it goes out to a team of testers, who come back with feedback (and inevitably catch things I missed!). So it’s quite a process, and we’re so glad to know you’re enjoying it!
What impact, if any, has the recent rise in AI popularity had on crossword development?
Shulman: A very good question. AI hasn’t reached the point of being able to make crosswords from start to finish, at least not very good ones. The best crosswords are not only filled with wordplay, which AI doesn’t have a great grasp on, but they’re also filled with each constructor’s particular voice and style. Some constructors might make use of AI to help them come up with theme entries or cluing angles maybe, but even then it can sometimes give pretty wacky suggestions that make no sense. So I don’t really see AI taking over the “crossworld” any time soon! The best crossword venues employ human editors and pay freelance constructors – and we’re so glad the Globe is on that train.
Euan Murphy/The Globe and Mail
Settling in for a puzzle
Let’s talk about ‘cheating.’ What’s your opinion on using the internet to help you through the tricky hints?
Shulman: My opinion is it’s only cheating if you think it’s cheating – it’s your crossword and you should solve it however you like. If you want to look something up, then look something up. Then you’ll know it for next time. You make the rules, I say! Of course, if you’re looking to get into competitive solving tournaments (which are a ton of fun, even if you’re slow like I am), then you won’t be able to look things up there, but as part of improving your skills it makes a ton of sense to get a few hints along the way.
Bingler: Not exactly cheating but I do my print crosswords in pen and Jess only does hers in pencil (the proper way I’m told). The Odd Couple of crosswords.
I’ve been wanting to get into doing crossword puzzles on Saturday mornings but don’t know where to start. How do I get into the habit and do you have any tips on how to make sense of the hints?
Shulman: Our Saturday crossword is the biggest one of the week, a 21x21 grid with 140+ clues, so if you’re struggling to find time for it, that might not be the place to start. (Although it is our favourite, since it’s our own custom Weekender, so don’t let me steer you away) I think it’s just a matter of building in a regular time for yourself to do it. And if you need a smaller bite, try the mini crossword in our app. I make them myself, every day of the week. Monday through Friday they’re 5x5, Saturday is 6x6, and Sunday is 7x7.
As for how to make sense of the clues, a lot of that just comes with practice. A tip for beginners is to start by looking for gimmes like fill-in-the-blanks. Just getting the first few answers into the grid can help you unlock all kinds of others. Remember that the clue’s part of speech will match the answer’s part of speech, and if the clue is plural, the answer will be plural. If a clue ends in a question mark, that’s a hint that there’s something a little bit punny going on. But most of all it just comes with practice. You won’t always know all the answers, and that’s totally fine.
Bingler: Saturday morning is a great time slot to dedicate to puzzling. For me, my habit started in print (and still anchors my weekend). Like many others, I presume, I like to get a cup of coffee, grab my clipboard, have some music playing on the background. And for the next 45 mins, I am in my own world. Conversely, I love doing the Globe’s daily mini puzzle as soon as I get to my desk at work. Take your time!
Euan Murphy/The Globe and Mail
Are puzzles a good way to promote good brain health? I find it keeps my mind sharp as I get older.
Bingler: There is data to suggest that regular puzzle solving helps keep the brain sharp especially as we age. Kids are calling it ‘brain-maxxing’ (are they really?). We attended the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament this April and there was a 100-year-old woman competing. Read this for more information.
What’s next for games
With the popularity of games like Wordle and Connections, what do you think will be the next big thing? What makes for an engaging new game?
Shulman: Crosswords and cryptics are our staples but I there is room for more creative word-play and spelling puzzles. Games like Connections tickle the brain in a different way than a standard crossword. That’s what makes it so popular. Also, finding new ways to share or two-person play will continue to be popular.