ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ THE FINAL FOUR]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ THE FINAL FOUR]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
So, I got a chance to do the daily puzzles before the blog post which was great for a change. (No spoilers for those so don't worry.) I thought Dana Motley's NY Times puzzle was great in sort of "just folks" kind of way. (I hope that doesn't sound condescending, I like a lot of her work.) Nothing flashy per se, but her grids are so workmanlike and deceptively wide-open that it's a refreshing change from the regular white chunks in normal themeless puzzles. Sometimes themeless puzzles come across like the constructor is saying "look what I can do." And depending on the puzzlemaker it can be either a wild success, or it can feel like a rote Autofilled computer-generated puzzle. I think Dana's work has a certain grace about it that doesn't really come across as showing off, but I do find her to have a very unique style. And standing out among the crowd certainly accounts for something in this biz.
Amy Reynaldo said in her blog write up about Dana's puzzle: "Rumor has it such a grid is easier to fill than the stack-heavy ones are." Let's kill that rumor right now, shall we? (Who started that rumor anyway?) Basically these grids are no different than a themed puzzle, and Lord knows I've made more than a few themed puzzles with themeless-level word counts (three examples are here, here, and here). And to continue to prove the point, and set up a little creative collaboration, send me suggestions for the long entries in a Dana Motley-esque puzzle via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. The most interesting entries, will be the starting points for Monday's Themeless puzzle.
In the meantime, share the puzzle. New Dana-Motley-esque puzzle on Monday.
Brendan Emmett Quigley creates custom-made puzzles for all occasions: birthdays and bar mitzvahs, anniversaries and retirements. You name it. Need a puzzle for your website or your publication? He can do that, too.
Brendan's custom work clients have included The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, BeerAdvocate, Boston Magazine, De Beers, The Decemberists, ESPN, The Improper Bostonian, Lollapuzzoola, McSweeney's, Phish, Reflexive, The Smithsonian Magazine, St. Martin's Press, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, and Andrew Weil.
Call (617) 2-999-BEQ or click 
