Churned out another! This one should be about a Th-Sat in difficulty, I believe. The clues are not too straightforward. There is a theme. I think the word size is a bit more balanced than the last two grids. I think it flows better than the first few, as well. I hope the fill is enjoyable to solve. But let me know what you all think! As always, I accept constructive criticism graciously and eagerly...
Nice one! I liked the theme but wonder if there is a way to make all the themers more consistent. Now some of them are golf terms that get used in a different way (SLICE, WEDGE, CHIPS) and some are other entries that get clued in a golfy way (HUNTINGSEASONS). Would feel tighter (in my opinion!) if they were all consistent.
Hello Mike, and thanks for the feedback. The across are all on theme, (golf terms as food) and the downs were long ones that I tried to make fit on theme. I guess I didn't do so successfully... i was going to just clue them normally, but thought that might be seen negatively because they are long, and long ones are often assumed to be on theme. Do you think if I just clued them normally, no asterisk/golf reference that would solve the issue of confusion?
I didn't really find it confusing so I wouldn't say you need to change! Just a nitpick since you asked for feedback. I think whenever possible keeping all of the themers "matching" as much as possible helps a puzzle to feel tight.
Agree with Mike about the theme - unless there was some sort of revealer I missed I felt like you had two theme ideas and melded them into one.
In terms of the puzzle itself it played like a challenging Wednesday though some parts of the grid were much easier. I had to check/reveal to get anywhere in the NE due to MARLEY/EDEMA (plus I kept looking for a golf term for 13D).
The fill itself is solid. My suggestion would be take a short break and try to think through some themes before going straight to another grid. Or if you're ready to construct, go all-in and try to do a themeless.
Hi Aaron, and thanks for chiming in. :) Nope, not two theme ideas. Just two long words that I tried to fit on theme so as not to be confusing, but it had an opposite effect, I guess. I explained to Mike just now my thought process (above), and wonder what you think.
Okay, a challenging Wednesday is good. I prefer to be a bit more challenging than not. I am happy to hear you felt the fill was solid. I work hard to make that happen with each grid. I really don't want to take the lazy route and use obscure auto-fill words, so I spend the majority of my time honing the fill.
It's funny that you had difficulty in the NE, because my two beta testing friends found that corner swiftly. One knew edema immediately without any letters, the other got Marley with only the MA. But it is always relative to the solver, I suppose, and I can possibly tweak some clues to assist in that section. But my Marley- guessing tester had trouble in the NW because he didn't know Aurora and (being British) didn't use the term "sausage LINKS" so I thought I might need to adjust that corner as well.
Regarding a break, I took two days off already for a major house project. But I had two grids completed beforehand, so just did a little cluing yesterday. I have plenty of creative juices flowing! And too much time, currently. That won't always be the case, so I wanna keep creating while I can. I am also applying for the NYT fellowship, which is why I am working so hard to develop my skills, and why I am so grateful for your support and feedback! Thank you...
Oh yeah? Most excellent to hear! I thought about adding a scrambled "scramble" (maaaaaybe eggs served with LINKS) to the board, but couldn't decide if it would be too much. But I am so glad you liked it! You may want to check out my previous puzzle ("Feature Links") as well.... ;)
It's funny that you had difficulty in the NE, because my two beta testing friends found that corner swiftly. One knew edema immediately without any letters, the other got Marley with only the MA. But it is always relative to the solver, I suppose, and I can possibly tweak some clues to assist in that section. But my Marley- guessing tester had trouble in the NW because he didn't know Aurora and (being British) didn't use the term "sausage LINKS" so I thought I might need to adjust that corner as well. Regarding a break, I took two days off already for a major house project. But I had two grids completed beforehand, so just did a little cluing yesterday. I have plenty of creative juices flowing! And too much time, currently. That won't always be the case, so I wanna keep creating while I can. I am also applying for the NYT fellowship, which is why I am working so hard to develop my skills, and why I am so grateful for your support and feedback! Thank you...