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Constructing Puzzles Submitting Puzzles CRUCIVERB-L

• What is CRUCIVERB-L?
• How do I join CRUCIVERB-L?
• How do I send a message to the CRUCIVERB-L list?
• PLEASE READ: Are there rules or guidelines about what should and shouldn't be posted to the list?
• How do I change my subscription settings (eg. getting messages in digest format)?
• How do I search the archived messages?
• Why are replies to list messages addressed to the sender of an original message and not the list?
• How do I log on and take part in the CRUCIVERB-L discussions? I registered and received a password, but do not see a place to enter them when I go to the cruciverb web site.
• When I try to access the older archives I get prompted for a user and password! What are they?
• I forgot my CRUCIVERB-L password. What do I do?
• How long should I wait for a response?
• Can I send a puzzle to more than one editor?
• Is the CRUCIVERB-L list a place to make comments from a solver's perspective?
• How to submit a puzzle to the New York Times

[ CRUCIVERB-L ] What is CRUCIVERB-L?

CRUCIVERB-L is an email list used for discussing the craft of crossword construction.

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] How do I join CRUCIVERB-L?

You can subscribe via the mailing list user interface here:

http://www.cruciverb.com/mailman/listinfo/cruciverb-l

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] How do I send a message to the CRUCIVERB-L list?

To send a message to the list (so that all subscribers receive your message) send an email to:

cruciverb-l AT mail.cruciverb.com

You must be a subscriber of the list in order to post!

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] PLEASE READ: Are there rules or guidelines about what should and shouldn't be posted to the list?

This list tends to focus on American-style (non cryptic) crossword puzzles. If your interest is primarily in cryptic puzzles I recommend the Cryptic Clue Workshop forum on the New York Times web site.

To all subscribers:

1) AVOID:

• politics - absolutely no politics tolerated
• nastiness -be nice or go elsewhere
• critiquing of published puzzles - this is the work of your colleagues, they don't need to have their work criticized in front of their peers.
• forwarding or quoting messages to the list that someone has sent to you privately
• discussing puzzles that have recently been published without using spoiler space (see below)

Tips for new subscribers:

2) LURK FOR A WHILE

Subscribe to the list and read the messages for a while before posting. Every forum tends to develop a flavor over time, and CRUCIVERB-L, in existence since 1995, is no different. Lurk for a bit, then start posting once you feel you have a sense of the group dynamic.

3) TAKE IT EASY

Please do not dominate the list with a million questions or with replies to every post that others make. This is not a good way to introduce yourself. Members who post to the list tend to be judged on the quality of their posts, not the quantity.

4) READ THE ARCHIVES

This will further give you a sense of group dynamic and may also provide answers to the questions you have. The archives are not currently searchable but will be soon.

5) PROVIDE SPOILER SPACE

Do not reveal the answers in a recently published puzzle without providing SPOILER SPACE. If you need to discuss the puzzle and an answer within it, warn people that you are about to do so with the words "SPOILER ALERT!", then create a whole bunch of empty lines in your email message like so:

=
=
=

so that the reader will see your spoiler alert on the first page of your email and will not see the answers your are discussing because they will be hidden below

7) CONGRATULATIONS

Whether this is a good thing or not, we tend to not congratulate each and every constructor on their puzzles every time they appear. Otherwise we'd be congratulating each other every day, all day (most constructors are on this list). However, there are exceptions that should be noted.

a) when someone has a debut puzzle appearing in a major publication we like to congratulate him or her. It is an achievement that deserves recognition.

b) if someone has created a stupendous, record-breaking, awe-inspiring, out-of-this-world puzzle and we would like to know something about its creation, it would be a shame to not ask the constructor about it.

If you want to send someone a private congratulatory note you can use the Private Messaging system on the website or just send him/her an email.

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] How do I change my subscription settings (eg. getting messages in digest format)?

Follow these steps:

1) click on the CRUCIVERB-L link in the upper left corner of the www.cruciverb.com homepage.
2) go to the "cruciverb-l Subscribers" section in the lower part of that page
3) click the "Unsubscribe or edit options" button
4) enter your email address and password and press "Log In"
5) if you do not know your password, fill in just your email address and press "Remind"
6) Once you retrieve your password in an email, do step 5)
7) You're now at the Membership Configuration page. There are a number of things you can do such as change your email, password, etc. Go down below to the Subscription Options sections.
8) To get your messages in digest form, change the Set Digest Mode option from Off to On and press the Submit My Changes button.
9) There are a number of things you can change in addition to your digest setting. Have a look!

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] How do I search the archived messages?

The list archives are not yet searchable. I hope to make this feature available soon.

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] Why are replies to list messages addressed to the sender of an original message and not the list?

The list was set to "reply-to-list" for a time but the traffic became rather high and the rich content was often lost in the sea of messages that were probably more appropriate for individuals (you know, the "Hi Sam!" or "Me, too!" type of posts).

If you *really* want to have your reply go to the list, simply use the "Reply to All" function in your mail client.

Still, I recommend that you always give thought about the recipient address. Ask yourself "Should this post go to all 500 members of the list?"

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] How do I log on and take part in the CRUCIVERB-L discussions? I registered and received a password, but do not see a place to enter them when I go to the cruciverb web site.

The CRUCIVERB.COM web site and the CRUCIVERB-L mailing list are two different things. To take part in the CRUCIVERB-L discussions you need to subscribe to the mailing list (this is not the same as becoming a registered web site user). Click on the CRUCIVERB-L link and follow the instructions on how to subscribe. One you are successfully subscribed you will start to receive email messages from the list members.

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] When I try to access the older archives I get prompted for a user and password! What are they?

Our older archives were indexed by search engines and there were privacy concerns expressed (people post to the list thinking the readership is our community, not the whole world). The old archives directory has therefore been password protected. To access these archives you need to enter:

Username: cruciverb
Password: cruciverb

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] I forgot my CRUCIVERB-L password. What do I do?

To recover your password, go to:

http://www.cruciverb.com/mailman/listinfo/cruciverb-l

Go down to the bottom of the page and enter your email address and submit. One of the options on the next page will be to retrieve your password.

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[ Submitting Puzzles ] How long should I wait for a response?

I sent a puzzle to the New York Times a month ago but have not heard back. Is there something I should do? How long will it be before I hear something?

The New York Times editor receives more submissions than anyone else. It does take longer to get a response. Other editors (of the New York Sun and LA Times, for example) are known to respond much quicker. Still, responses from the New York Times editor should not take longer than 4-5 months, so feel free to send him a reminder if you have waited that long and have not heard back.

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[ Submitting Puzzles ] Can I send a puzzle to more than one editor?

No. Most publishers buy "first rights" to your puzzle. You can't have it published by more than one publication. It is also not a good idea to offer a puzzle to one editor and then "un-offer" it later because another editor has accepted it. Decide which editor you want to send your puzzle to. Do not send the puzzle to anyone else until you have heard back from that editor.

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[ CRUCIVERB-L ] Is the CRUCIVERB-L list a place to make comments from a solver's perspective?

(answer submitted by Craig Kasper)

No. There are proper channels for this:

1) The answers. Most professionally published crossword puzzles - including Merl's - include explanatory remarks with the answer grid when the theme warrants it (as it did here).

2) The New York Times on the Web Crossword Talk forums. The crossword talk forums are the only place on the internet I am aware of where a significant number of crossword solvers gather to discuss crosswords online. You can usually find someone there capable of answering questions related to whatever crossword it is you're trying to solve, although you should be aware that there is spoiler etiquette there as well (not just here on the cruciverb list), and syndicated puzzles are considered to have a canonical publication date for the sake of the spoiler etiquette there. If your newspaper syndicates the NYTimes puzzle on a delayed basis, is the sort that can't get a simple publication date for its weekly puzzle correct, keep this in mind.

3. The editor. If I remember right, the Creator's syndicate puzzle and the New York Sun puzzle both include an e-mail address for the editor with the puzzle (as may other puzzles). In other cases, the editor's E-mail is not widely publicized, but still available nonetheles if you know where to look.

4. The constructor. The member profiles on the cruciverb site have the option to include e-mail addresses, and some of us have used this feature of the profiles.

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[ Submitting Puzzles ] How to submit a puzzle to the New York Times by J. Simmons

The New York Times is but one of the many excellent publishers that you can send your puzzles to. To send a puzzle to the Times, or any other publisher, please refer to the Specification Sheet (also known as a Style Sheet) of the particular publisher for specific instructions. Be sure ot read the specificiation sheet in its entirety.

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