Many years ago, I used to work and enjoy EASY crossword puzzles. But you can't really consider the easy crosswords to be REAL puzzle-solving. No siree, the REAL puzzles are the difficult ones. And, if you don't work 'em in INK, then you're just an amateur.
When I first started, I'd buy a typical crossword magazine featuring several EASY, MEDIUM and HARD puzzles, two or three EXPERT, and one CHALLENGER. I'd work every tip (OOPS I mean puzzle) in the magazine. But sooner or later I finally graduated from the BABY STUFF. Now the only magazine I buy is "Dell Champion Crosswords". The easiest puzzle in this magazine is rated ONE-STAR and is as difficult as a puzzle rated EXPERT in the "other" magazines. The FIVE-STAR puzzles, which I REALLY enjoy, call for the talents of a real expert.
Yep, I'm an honest-to-goodness crossword puzzle expert. Probably the most difficult puzzle the average person ever sees is the Sunday Crossword in the newspaper. In all honesty, a typical Sunday Crossword is about a TWO-STAR puzzle to me. Remember that I mainly like FIVE-STAR puzzles. Still, I work the Sunday Crossword every week, in INK, and it takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
Since I mainly like the 5-star puzzles, I wanna see more of 'em. In fact, I wanna see nothing EXCEPT 5-stars. For starters, the Sunday Crossword should be even MORE difficult. Keep in mind that making it more difficult would cause many current Sunday Crossword solvers to give up and not even try the puzzle. But I don't care. If they don't wanna invest enough time to become GOOD at crossword puzzles, then they shouldn't be trying to solve 'em in the first place. All I know is I want the Sunday Crossword to be even HARDER than it is. The typical Sunday Crossword hardly provides any challenge at all. In fact, it's downright boring.
Of course, I could always create my OWN challenges. For example, I could fill in the puzzle grid backwards. Or use only the ACROSS or only the DOWN clues, instead of both. Or, I could tear the grid out of the newspaper and solve the puzzle as if it were a "Diagramless". I could give myself just ONE run thru the clues, instead of going back again and again until the puzzle is finally solved.
Yes, I could do ANY of those things, and then thousands of other Sunday Crossword solvers would still have something suitable for their meager skills. But I don't want to create my OWN challenges. I pay GOOD MONEY for the Sunday newspaper, and by crackie I want something in return for my money! Even though I'm far above average in crossword solving skills, and even though making the Sunday Crossword more difficult would drive away lots of existing puzzle fans, I still like 'em DIFFICULT.
How can anyone control what they LIKE? I'm not at fault in the least. I like difficult crossword puzzles. The more difficult, the better. If someone doesn't give me what I want, then I'll just up and QUIT square dancing, ooops, I meant crossword puzzles.
One problem facing crossword puzzle solvers today is there aren't enough NEW puzzle fans coming up through the ranks. I'm always trying to get new people interested in crossword puzzles. If they would just give me two hours a week for 30 weeks, I'd get them up to the level where they can do the EASY crosswords. Keep in mind that I won't do the EASY crosswords WITH them, nor help them with the easy puzzles, because I don't like the EASY ones. I only like puzzles for EXPERTS.
But I can't get anyone interested in Crossword Puzzle lessons. What usually happens is some smart-aleck asks me how long it'll take for them to get up to MY level, and I start laughing. For some unknown reason, this bothers them. It's as if they don't understand that by the time THEY get up to MY lofty level, I'll be even better than I am now, if you can imagine such a thing. So, in truth, they'll NEVER get up to my level. I can't understand why people don't want to face the truth.
I sure wish there were some way to get more folks interested in the SERIOUS type of crossword puzzles. I have no interest in helping someone get involved with "recreational" solving, because if they're only interested in the low-level stuff, then we'll never have very much in common.
If anyone knows of a way to interest more folks in crossword puzzles at the FIVE-STAR level, please pass the info along. Thanks.
Nasser "this post is merely an editorial in disguise"
Shukayr