Learning to Design Cryptic Clues
My clues aren't good enough (yet). Help me out!
I've been building daily clues for the past month. Its hard work. And as I started collecting feedback I was told my clues for ClueDay were sometimes too vague, or just synonyms of the answer. Got some tough love, both from my friends (basically founding users at this point), and the leaderboard.
I knew they were right because I was spending more time adding new features versus improving the daily core experience (which is the CLUES!)
Going back to school
Have started learning about cryptic crosswords and clue construction. Lot of resources (mainly oriented toowards the crossword community, but I'm getting back to my roots and needed something to occupy my time on the Subway anywas (without internet!). Between those and Minute Cryptic as daily practice, my brain is working double-time. I wanted to share some resources that have been helpful in learning about clue design.
Cryptic Crossword Crib Sheet — Dr. J. Bulstein, Dalhousie University
Making a Start on a Cryptic Crossword — Denise Sutherland
How to Make a Crossword Puzzle — New York Times
XWord Info — NYT crossword answers and insights
Brief Guide to Construction of Cryptic Crossword Clues — crypticcrosswords.net
Guide to Cryptic Crosswords — Douglas Davey
Minute Cryptic in particular
I came across MinuteCryptic in May. It has been helpful in recognizing good clue design! And also my first introduction into learning about surface readings, fodders, indicators, anagrams and more.
Though initially I plan to give myself more leeway since I have 5 clues to lead someone to the answer, I aspire to design an experience that gives someone that satisfaction of having achieved something. A little dopamine goes a long way in someone's day!
What I'm changing
While I am learning about cryptic clues (the communities are big and welcoming!) I sat with Claude to learn the basics by designing a skill. I also learnt how important the explanations are, versus assuming someone will understanding after getting to the answer. So I'm going to experiment sharing my own thought process of designing the clues.
The clues I'm proudest of now are the ones wher i mix misdirection, global references, and multiple meanings across domains as the clues expand. Still learning and continuing to work on my gaps. Submit cases to help me out in the meanwhile!
Create a Case — Help me design a better case! Submit a word and 5 clues now!