ACROSS LITE PUZZLE: [ STIMULANTS PACKAGE]
PROGRAM: [Across Lite]
PROGRAM: [Java]
PRINTOUT PUZZLE: [ STIMULUS PACKAGE]
PROGRAM: [Adobe Acrobat]
For an experiment, I once attempted to make a puzzle just a little high. I figured virtually all of the greatest music was written and recorded all types of messed up. And what are crosswords but entertainment? How amazing would a puzzle be made under the influence?
The answer was “kind of terrible.” At least the first draft was terrible. Unpublishable. Although I had already come up with the theme, I was too paranoid while making the grid, overthinking virtually every entry I put down. My mind went something like this:
“This’ll work, no it can’t, yeah it will, this is the greatest puzzle ever made, man it sucks, how’m I ever going to do the other corner? This theme is amazing, no it’s so hackneyed, who’m I kidding? It’s awesome! Look at this: OREOS helps finish this corner, yeah, boy! Mmmm, Oreos, I could go for some Oreos right now, no, God dammit! Get focus, stay focus, wait … Everything’s misspelled! Oh shit, oh shit. No it’s not, wait, what was the theme again? I can’t remember. None of these make any sense. Was this even in English … ? Okay, I remember now: it was a drop a word theme, so, I think the theme entries are spelled right, wait, is the grid even symmetrical? No it’s not, damn, dammit! Wait, it is symmetrical, shit, this isn’t the greatest puzzle ever made, it’s not even close, but that theme entry is pretty damn funny, I think I have a headache … Focus, focus! Oh man, I can’t think of any word that fits the pattern R E _ _ _ S, there are no seven letter words that start R E and end with S, Jesus, I’m so screwed,” etc.
I stopped the experiment around that point and finished making the crossword later. I suspect had I continued on, and managed to come up with a suitable grid, I would have got equally distracted in the myriad of reference material whilst cluing.
For whatever it’s worth, here’s today’s list, in order, of the drugs I take to make puzzles, for you to take drugs in order to do: coffee, beer.
Postscript: Nice write-up about my ACPT puzzle: here. Comments (10)