Killian Olson
Rockford, Michigan
Hi everyone! Today is my New York Times crossword construction debut! To say I am excited would be a massive understatement. I hope you all enjoy solving this crossword as much as I did constructing it! If you have any questions about the puzzle or construction process, please feel free to ask!
@Jack Thank you! I use a combination of Crosserville and Ingrid for construction. I spend a ton of time on my puzzles trying to make the fill as clean and fresh as possible, so that really means a lot to me! My primary wordlists are Spread the Wordlist and the Crosserville default list (OneLook is also a helpful tool for finding entries). I have recently started putting more effort into rescoring any entries I think should be higher/lower as well as adding entries to my own personal wordlist. My best advice is to be intentional with fill (upscoring entries you enjoy while downscoring/rejecting fill you don't) and flexible with the grid (adding/removing black squares to look). Best of luck on your construction journey!
@Mike No specific reason other than that KROC helped me fill the grid! My original clue was actually cross referenced: [Restaurant tycoon Ray who was initially skeptical of 46-Across ("I boggled a bit at the presentation. But then I tasted it, and I was sold. Wow!"]
@Sonja It is one of favorite clues I've written! And, as someone else commented, the entry highlights green when selected which is so great!
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