Interview with Rich Norris (Sequel)

It's almost been 6 months since we switched to LA Times. Rich Norris has been entertaining us every day with his witty wordplay and superb editorship.

As several of our crossword constructors pointed out in their interviews or comments, Rich makes them look smarter. He often changes 1/3 to 1/2 of the clues, not simply adjusting the difficulty level or avoiding the repeat, but injecting playfulness to the clues as well. I often have fun guessing which clues are his.

I feel a follow-up interview with Rich is needed in order to clear up some of the questions I've been curious about. Hope this will address some of points you've been discussing at the blog Comments section as well.

What is the latest status with the eased-up puzzle situation? How much longer will this phase last?

The easier clues will continue as we monitor feedback from solvers and local papers. Recent input suggests that the end-of-the-week puzzles are too hard for too many people. We'll be trying to find a level that brings more solvers into the mix on Friday and Saturday, yet still sufficiently challenges the more experienced solvers.

Why is there no puzzle title for LA/NY Times Monday to Saturday puzzle? How does it influence the theme answer selection or other aspects of puzzle construction?

When I took over at LAT in 1999, titles had never been used before. I considered instituting them, but I recalled Will Shortz telling me that one reason he decided not to start using titles when he became NYT editor was, simply, tradition (in my head I'm suddenly hearing strains from the "Fiddler on the Roof" song!). I felt the same way. LA Times puzzles had always been self-revealing, which is to say that themes were either inherently obvious or revealed by an answer in the puzzle itself. As a solver, I always preferred figuring out the theme without any title hints (except on Sunday), so I decided to keep it that way in my editing.

Can you give us a behind-the-scenes look at your editing process? How does a puzzle go from the constructor's hand to the local newspaper? What are the responsibilities of the test solvers and the final fact-checker Bob Klahn?

Once I've accepted a puzzle, I file it according to the day of the week on which I think it will be the most appropriate. Each day has its own backlog, and I pretty much publish puzzles in the order I accept them (except for special event puzzles). When the puzzle comes up for scheduling, I edit primarily for avoidance of repeat clues, for difficulty, and for accuracy. The first two of these are the most common reasons for clues being changed. I try not to repeat a clue for at least two months.

Once a week's puzzles are edited, they go to two testers, both former editors themselves. The testers comment on overall puzzle difficulty and clues they think aren't quite accurate or fair. They look for typos. Occasionally they pick up factual errors, but that's not their primary responsibility.

After I make changes based on testers' comments, I send the puzzles to my editor at Tribune. His main job is to check facts, but he also sometimes comments on difficulty. After we review his comments and agree on changes, I send the work to Bob, who's the final fact checker and all-around accuracy verifier.

How has your workload changed since the TMS puzzle switch? Are you able to make more puzzles yourself?

My workload has increased quite a bit, primarily as a result of increased submissions. Before the changeover I was receiving between 40 and 50 submissions a week. That number is now between 50 and 60, sometimes more. I do all my own correspondence. It takes between one and two full work days each week to keep up with it.

I only make puzzles when I absolutely have to. I'm making fewer puzzles now, but since I'm receiving more, I don't need to make as many, so it works out.

What is a perfect puzzle to you? What kind of themes/grids do you like the most?

If I publish a theme, it means I like it. It's hard for me to say which ones are favorites. I like puzzles with a lot of theme, as long as the volume of theme squares doesn't compromise the non-theme fill. I also particularly like themes that explore new territory without becoming overly complex about it. Don Gagliardo's money puzzle in August is a good example of that. The puzzle had a symmetry "error" which was tied to the theme. That was a truly creative concept, yet it wasn't an overly hard puzzle.

Asking me to define the perfect puzzle is like asking Ben Hogan what the perfect round of golf is! He said "18." The perfect puzzle is one without any black squares--15 rows and columns of valid 15-letter words and phrases. It's about as possible as shooting an 18 in golf. Yes, I'm being facetious, but what it all boils down to is that I don't think there is a perfect puzzle. There are many excellent puzzles, and those are the ones I publish daily.