If you believe XWord Info, an up-and-coming constructor named Will Shortz had two crosswords published in 1975, and then nothing until an oddly shaped Variety puzzle this year. You can see his author page here.
Sure, he’s edited over 11,000 daily crosswords for the Times, and thousands more Variety and bonus puzzles of various kinds, but why doesn’t this guy who started with so much promise make more puzzles himself?
Well, mostly you should believe XWord Info, but in this case it’s misleading. Mr. Shortz creates plenty of puzzles, but they don’t usually show up on my website.
XWord Info understands two kinds of puzzles: things that look like crosswords, and Acrostics. Most of Will’s creations don’t fit into those, or any other, category.
If you do Variety puzzles in the magazine, you see his name often as the author. If you happen to have an XWord Info account, you can also see these recent examples:
- Encyclopedia Search on April 2, 2023
- Building Blocks on January 8, 2023
- Just Saying on June 26, 2022
- Spiral on May 1, 2022