On this blog, I spend a good chunk of time thinking (and writing) about how to make my crosswords better. One reason is personal satisfaction and pride – I want what I put into the world to be the best possible product! Another reason is because talking about crosswords is extremely cool and interesting, especially at house parties or in line at the grocery store.
Ultimately, though, I’ll admit that I make a lot of crosswords for the purpose of submission. I’m at least a little hooked on the idea of my puzzle getting published somewhere. It just seems so validating: knowing that someone else also likes your puzzle, so much so that they’re willing to share it with an audience.
Except… Sometimes the editor doesn’t like your puzzle enough. And sometimes you get the The Rejection Email, which starts with “Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately” and also includes “We get dozens/hundreds/thousands/millions of submissions every day” and ends with “We look forward to seeing more puzzles from you in the future.” And all of your lofty aspirations for fame and immense wealth vanish, and you suddenly wonder if everything you thought about the world is in fact a lie.
Does this mean it’s time to quit crosswords forever?
Some of the hard truths I use to comfort myself
1) The odds are not in my favor. In my first rejection from the NYT (you always remember your first!), the editorial team wrote back that they receive 175+ submissions per week, despite only running 7 puzzles every week. If they didn’t have a backlog (which they do), they could still only run 4% of the puzzles they receive. From a pure numerical standpoint, it’s bleak. And then there’s the fact that…
2) I’m almost always competing against people who are very good. If anyone does enough crosswords, they’ll start seeing many of the same constructor names come up. And often at many different publications – NYT, Universal, the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, AV Club, etc. These constructors are talented, productive – and have had a lot of practice (having hundreds of published puzzles doesn’t even factor in all of their unpublished grids). It’s a good reminder that the crossword competition is stiff.
3) This puzzle is probably worse than my next puzzle will be. It’s tough, because I often fall in love with my puzzles right after I finish them. But after a few weeks away from my Dorian Gray, I realize that there’s still a lot to learn. I start to notice some subpar fill, some awkward clues. And as I rinse and repeat, with each new puzzle I can notice myself getting better and better.
The thing is, though: Even in the impossibility that I’ve created the indisputable paragon of the form, there’s still the fact that…
4) There are factors that are out of my control. And a lot has to do with the publication’s editor. There’s no way of knowing what an editor might appreciate (or not appreciate) in a puzzle. Maybe the editor likes dad jokes, or doesn’t like themes about celebrities. Maybe the reason the editor doesn’t find my crossword about shellfish so tasty is because they’re recovering from a nasty bout of food poisoning. Or maybe they like my puzzle, but unfortunately they just accepted another puzzle with a similar theme.
As a result, I try to remember that a rejection is a reflection of the editor’s tendencies, as much as it’s a reflection of me and my work. A “no” isn’t the same as “never”; it’s more of a “I, the editor of XXX, wasn’t feeling it.”
Plus, THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE EDITORS TO SUBMIT TO. ALWAYS. And if that sounds exhausting, you can always self-publish and gain that peace of mind.
Final Thoughts:
Not getting accepted feels like purgatory. I’ve made a thing, but so what? I start to doubt myself. Worse, it can feel like I’ve been straight-up wasting my time.
But this is why it’s so important to move on. I keep reminding myself that making crosswords is a skill, it takes practice, and that the more shots on goal I have, the better. Moving on to a new puzzle will let me use what I’ve learned; at the very least, it’ll give me a more-than-ample distraction.
Now excuse me while I switch out of this tab; I need to submit my latest puzzle.
You can check out the previous blog post here. Let me know in the comments if there was anything I missed! And follow me on Twitter.
Take heart and good luck!