Previous mini-crosswords:
- Week 0 (theme: Oxford colleges)
- Week 1 (theme: Notable Oxford writers)
- Week 2 (theme: Oxford pubs)
- Week 3 (theme: Oxford libraries)
- Week 4 (theme: Valentine’s Day special!)
For more crosswords and other puzzles, pick up a Cherwell print issue from your JCR/Plodge!
Editorial from our mini-crossword setter, Zoë, also in Week 5 print edition:
If you can tell exactly which word should come next in the following set: DRIBBLE, ADDITION, FREEDOM, ELLIPSE, BOOKSHELF, ???; you might have a mind for puzzles. I’ve always thought that the best, most pure form of a puzzle, is one in which you’re not given any instructions. Just a set of data, and working out what to do with it is left to you. This was the idea I tried to put forward with my first puzzle for Cherwell, ‘Guillotines’, at the start of this term, and in general I find the variety slot particularly exciting for the ability to try wacky things that solvers hopefully haven’t seen before.
Finding inspiration for puzzles can be tricky. The ones I’ve been most proud of are the ones that have hinged on a gimmick or concept that is truly original, but I also don’t mind trying my own take on an established format (such as the Printer’s Devilry in this issue), or even blending two existing genres together. But even then, you don’t necessarily need an original format to be able to show creative expression. I’ve a friend who makes regular Sudoku puzzles – no funny rules or gimmicks – and yet somehow he sets them up in a way that makes them feel unique and satisfying.
The most important part for a puzzle setter is making sure the ‘aha’ moments are there – that brief strike of inspiration when you break through a hard cryptic clue, or realise why these answers are too long for that crossword grid, or spot a pattern in the seemingly unrelated set of words – that’s an intoxicating feeling, and one that a constructor will seek to manufacture. But it’s a hard process – you don’t know how solvable a clue is if you’re the one that came up with it; of course it seems obvious!
To be a good writer, you’ve also got to enjoy solving puzzles. I’d really recommend taking part in ‘puzzle hunts’ if you like this sort of thing; they’re big online competitions that are full of well-made puzzles by some fantastic people. If any of what I’ve said sounds interesting and you’d like to know more, get in touch with me!
Oh and by the way, it’s CONTINUUM.