Those steps include theme development, grid construction, filling the grid and writing the clues, Fleming says. We worked on them, accepted some, rejected others and went through a three-to-four week program that I teach on the different steps to making a puzzle." "He picked up on everything I was saying. "He was a quick study right from the get-go," says Fleming, who has mentored many crossword makers. Fleming also gave Marotte advice on choosing a publishable theme. He's been kind enough to offer his wisdom and encouragement."įleming hipped his young charge to "The Crossword Constructor's Handbook," by Patrick Berry, and Marotte started using Crossfire, a crossword-construction software program. "I think the number one thing is that I got in contact with Vic and I started my mentorship with him. Marotte and Fleming began meeting via Zoom in June to discuss crosswords and work on puzzles. Your odds of getting a yes are not so strong, but his puzzles are just as good as anyone's." That's another thing that is impressive about Simon. "We get somewhere around 200 entries per week and we can publish only seven, so the competition is fierce. "He is held to the same standards as everybody else," Shortz says. Not that his age was taken into consideration. Marotte is one of the youngest contributors to be accepted by The Times, says Will Shortz, the newspaper's puzzle editor. "Three acceptances inside of six months is something I've never had happen to me." Marotte's grandfather, Michael Wilson, contacted Fleming who then emailed Marotte and a crossword kinship was formed. Where to go with this new crossword interest?Įnter Victor Fleming, the Little Rock traffic court judge and seasoned crossword creator who has placed more than 40 puzzles in The Times. "It was movie titles that were antonyms, so 'The Godfather' would be 'The Godmother,'" Marotte says. "I was just amazed that people could actually do it," he says.Īfter reading a Times how-to article, he put together a handmade puzzle with the theme Antonomous Flicks. He wasn't that good at first, he admits, but during quarantine, with time on his hands, he began to improve. I looked online and there was some USA Today puzzle I did." I remember being in health class and I was bored. "I didn't really solve crossword puzzles until about a year ago. "I didn't have the normal path of solving them for a long time and then getting into constructing," Marotte says. His interest in crosswords was first sparked while combating boredom in class. Simon Marotte, a 16-year-old junior at Conway High School, started creating crossword puzzles last year and has already had three accepted by The New York Times. Some crosswords will also indicate the number of words in a given answer, should there be more than one.A Conway teenager has found instant success as a cruciverbalist. At the end of the clue the total number of letters is sometimes given, depending on the style of puzzle and country of publication. The clues are then referred to by these numbers and a direction, for example, "4-Across" or "20-Down". Squares in which answers begin are usually numbered. The shaded squares are used to separate the words or phrases. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer words and phrases are placed in the grid from left to right and from top to bottom. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. And just for those who don't know, a A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. These worksheets are fun, colorful, and educational. That's because our crossword puzzles quiz students on important vocabulary words. Best of all, they'll still be learning while they do them. This will give them a gentle break, allowing them to work together and relax. Pass these worksheets out to students between more difficult lessons. Crossword Puzzle Worksheets Terms of Use Not only are crossword Puzzles fun to complete, but they also provide for a great teaching opportunity.
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