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Themed Crossword Constructor for American Style 15x15 Grids: Theme Set and Revealer, Rotational Symmetry Placement, Black Square and Word Count Budget, Fill Quality Pass, Clue Writing Rules, and a Submission Checklist
Build a publishable American style themed crossword from an idea: a tight theme set with a revealer, matched entry lengths placed with 180 degree rotational symmetry, a black square and word count budget, a fill pass that removes crosswordese and duplicates, clues that follow standard conventions, and a submission checklist for the venue you are targeting.
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Prompt
Act as a published crossword constructor who builds American style themed 15x15 grids for newspaper and indie venues, works in Crossfire or Ingrid with a scored word list, and has had puzzles rejected for loose themes, unchecked squares, and tired fill. Inputs: - Theme idea in one sentence, plus any entries you already like: [ThemeIdea] - Target venue and day or difficulty (Monday easy, Wednesday medium, themeless Saturday, an indie weekly): [Venue] - Grid size and any special rules the venue publishes (word count cap, minimum entry length, pangram or no): [GridRules] - Your word list and scoring scale, for example a 1 to 60 score where 50 is lively: [WordList] - Entries or clue topics to avoid (brand names, grim subjects, words the editor dislikes): [AvoidList] - Output format: [Format] Generate: 1. A theme set audit: list candidate entries with exact letter counts, state the single rule every theme entry follows, and cut any entry that fits the rule loosely or uses the theme word in a different sense. 2. A revealer: one in-language phrase that explains the theme, with its letter count, and where it should sit (usually last theme slot or the center row). 3. Symmetry placement: assign each theme entry a row and column span so the grid keeps 180 degree rotational symmetry. Matching slots must have equal lengths, and a center entry must have an odd length and sit centered. 4. A grid budget from GridRules: theme squares, target word count, target black square count, minimum entry length of 3, every white square checked by an across and a down, and the whole grid connected. 5. A fill pass plan: the hardest crossing areas around theme entries, cheater squares that are allowed, and a list of crosswordese, obscure abbreviations, partials, and duplicate roots to replace, each with a better option scored from WordList. 6. Clues for every theme entry and the revealer, plus sample fill clues that show the conventions: tense and number agreement, abbreviation signals for abbreviated answers, a question mark on wordplay, and fill in the blank format. 7. A dupe and sensitivity check: no answer word repeated in another answer or clue, nothing from AvoidList, and no clue that could read as offensive. 8. A submission checklist for Venue: file type, grid and clue sheet format, byline, and a note to confirm current guidelines on the venue's own page. Constraints: - Count every letter twice. Never claim a grid is legal or a word is in a list unless the Inputs show it. - Keep theme entries in the language and not forced; no em dashes.
Instructions
Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Generated Output
This image was generated using the prompt above.
Examples
Example Input
ThemeIdea: phrases whose first word is something you can draw (a line, the curtains, a blank, a bath), revealed by LUCK OF THE DRAW. Entries I like: LINE DANCING, CURTAIN CALL, BLANK CHECK, BATH TOWELS Venue: a daily newspaper style Tuesday, easy to medium GridRules: 15x15, rotational symmetry, max 78 words for a themed puzzle, minimum entry length 3 WordList: personal list scored 1 to 60; 50 and up is lively, 30 and under I avoid AvoidList: no brand names in theme entries, nothing about illness or death Format: audit, placement table, budget, fill plan, clues, checklist
Example Output
Theme set audit Rule: the first word of the phrase is something you draw. | Entry | Letters | Draw sense | Keep? | | LINE DANCING | 11 | draw a line | keep | | CURTAIN CALL | 11 | draw the curtains | keep | | BLANK CHECK | 10 | draw a blank | keep | | BATH TOWELS | 10 | draw a bath | keep | | STRAW POLL | 9 | draw straws | cut: no matching 9 partner | Revealer: LUCK OF THE DRAW, 13 letters (L U C K O F T H E D R A W). Odd length, so it can take the center row. Symmetry placement (row, columns) | Slot | Entry | Row | Columns | Partner | | T1 | LINE DANCING | 3 | 1 to 11 | T5 | | T2 | BLANK CHECK | 5 | 6 to 15 | T4 | | T3 | LUCK OF THE DRAW | 8 | 2 to 14 | itself | | T4 | BATH TOWELS | 11 | 1 to 10 | T2 | | T5 | CURTAIN CALL | 13 | 5 to 15 | T1 | Check: row 3 cols 1 to 11 rotates to row 13 cols 5 to 15. Row 5 cols 6 to 15 rotates to row 11 cols 1 to 10. Row 8 cols 2 to 14 maps onto itself. Grid budget - Theme squares: 11 + 10 + 13 + 10 + 11 = 55. That is dense for a Tuesday; rows 3 and 5 overlap in columns 6 to 11, so the downs through both are the first area to fill. - Target 76 to 78 words, about 38 black squares, entries 3 letters or longer, every square checked, no isolated corners. - If rows 3 and 5 will not fill cleanly, fallback: drop T2 and T4 and run a 3 entry set (LINE DANCING, LUCK OF THE DRAW, CURTAIN CALL) with 35 theme squares. Fill pass plan - Hard area: the downs crossing LINE DANCING and BLANK CHECK in columns 6 to 11. Seed those downs first. - Replace on sight: ESNE, ETUI, ANOA (crosswordese, score under 30); ENE and SSW style compass points beyond one per grid; partials like A TO; roman numeral math. - Prefer: DOG PARK, SNOW DAY, TAPAS (scored 50 and up in WordList). - Cheater squares: allowed only if they keep symmetry and do not raise word count past 78. Clues - LINE DANCING: Boot scootin' activity at a country bar - BLANK CHECK: Unlimited authority, figuratively - BATH TOWELS: Terry cloth items on a rack - CURTAIN CALL: Bows after the final scene - LUCK OF THE DRAW: Pure chance, or a hint to the first words of the starred answers Fill convention samples: - TAPAS: Small plates at a Spanish bar (plural clue, plural answer) - ASAP: Rush order letters (abbreviation signal) - SNOW DAY: Reason the bus never came? (question mark for wordplay) - ___ PARK (dog): fill in the blank format Dupe and sensitivity check - DRAW appears only in the revealer; no clue uses draw, line, or blank. - No brand names in theme entries; no illness or death clues. Submission checklist - Grid file from Crossfire or a .puz plus a PDF of grid and numbered clue list with answers. - Byline and contact on the clue sheet. - Confirm the venue's current word count, file format, and exclusivity rules on its submissions page before sending.