Writing.Com 101

Selected items require more in-depth techniques in order to fully manage their capabilities. These capabilities are accessed through the Manage command located in the Show Tools line in your Portfolio view, or the Your Item: edit line from within your item.

After you choose your theme and "Create/Edit a Crossword Puzzle" , you should decide on the words and clues that will be added to it. These clues should relate to the puzzle's theme, which will inspire you while making it and help anyone taking it. Don't worry yet how the puzzle will look; that will be apparent later.

MANAGE A CROSSWORD PUZZLE

When you open your newly created Crossword Puzzle for the first time, a window will open that says Add Words and Clues to this Crossword Puzzle. Selecting the Manage Crossword command allows you to add up to thirty clues and words to your crossword. These puzzle words must be 20 letters or less, and you may not use anything other than letters in the word section. For the best results, we recommend you use a good variety of words with more shorter words than longer ones.

 Add (Additional) Words
You'll see two text boxes beside a number--one for the word and one for the clue.

When you've entered the words and clues you wish, click Submit to place them in a crossword puzzle format. You will have several options to shuffle your words into a layout that you like. To shuffle the layout, use the shuffle buttons #1 through #4 or LF. Each button displays a different layout method and will change the layout with each click. LF sorts the puzzle with the longest words used first, but adds some randomness. When you have a layout you would like to keep, click the Store button. You can always add, change, or delete words and clues by accessing the Manage command at any time.

 View Crossword
This command displays both your puzzle and its clues. When a correct word is filled in after the clue, the word is placed in the puzzle in the appropriate spot and a appears after the clue. If an incorrect word is used, an appears after the clue. At any point within the puzzle, you can press Submit Answers to add any correct words into the crossword puzzle.

To clear your answers, press Reset.

 Pop Crossword
Click the Pop Crossword link to open the Crossword Puzzle in a new window. This makes it very easy to Alt+Tab back and forth when looking at your words and clues versus your puzzle. This is also a great way to print your Crossword Puzzle if you would like to use the traditional method of pen or pencil!


A Crossword Puzzle is a great pasttime to allow yourself a respite from writing. Perhaps a puzzle might even strike a creative spark for that next story.1