Today is our 6th Donna S. Levin puzzle since the TMS switch. But it's Donna's 69th LAT starting August 2005.
Donna (She is very beautiful) specializes in early-to-midweek puzzles. She has created several excellent tribute puzzles this year: "The Wizard of Oz" & Wimbledon for LA Times; 40th Anniversary Moon Landing & Bastille Day for NT Times.
Her puzzles also appeared in NY Sun. She contributes regularly to Stan Newman's Newsday & CroSynergy/Washington Post. Enjoy the interview.
Donna (She is very beautiful) specializes in early-to-midweek puzzles. She has created several excellent tribute puzzles this year: "The Wizard of Oz" & Wimbledon for LA Times; 40th Anniversary Moon Landing & Bastille Day for NT Times.
Her puzzles also appeared in NY Sun. She contributes regularly to Stan Newman's Newsday & CroSynergy/Washington Post. Enjoy the interview.
What inspired this puzzle? What are the other theme entries you considered but failed to make the cut?
The answer to your first question is pretty darned embarrassing, I confess. I’ve been pining for a dog ever since my husband and I moved to Florida in 2000, but alas, we live in a building that doesn’t allow pets. Since I’ve been suffering from dog-lust for the past nine years, there’s been a long-running inside joke between the two of us: when he does something nice for me (which is often, I’m glad to say), I pat him on the head and say “Good boy!” From that evolved this puzzle.
Once I realized that there were enough doggy-commands to form the basis of a puzzle, I just started playing with the possibilities. The potential entries that didn’t make the cut were:
SIT THIS ONE OUT 13
BEG THE QUESTION 14
BEG FOR MERCY 11
STAY THE COURSE 13
COME FLY WITH ME 13
COME AND GET IT 12
COME AS YOU ARE 12
COME WHAT MAY 11
COME CLEAN 9
HEEL SPURS 9
SHAKE N BAKE 10
Those entries wound up in the shredder because either the length was wrong, the cluing would have been contrived, the gridding would have been difficult, or (as in the case of BEG) I just didn’t think it was nice to ask the dog to be so undignified!
Which fills do you think will get "huh?" from the solvers and which ones do you expect to elicit a "wow" reaction?
I’m a little concerned about CAPE ANN. As an East Coast gal who lived in New England for seven years, I know it -- but I’m not so sure it’s familiar to folks on the other side of the country. I’m mindful of the foofaraw caused by a constructor’s use of NATICK in a New York Times puzzle not too long ago, and I don’t want to be the cause of so many solvers’ getting in a pet. (I’ve always wanted to use the phrase “in a pet” in a sentence, having learned it from crosswords. Finally, I’ve managed to do it. Hooray!)
I don’t believe there’s anything that will elicit a “Wow!” in this one. I’m satisfied if I can prompt a simple smile and a feeling of satisfaction upon completion.
How would you describe your style? You seem to be fond of the tribute puzzles.
My puzzles are generally pretty straightforward, as I aim for the early-to-midweek audience. I am in awe of the constructors who can do snazzy rebuses or themelesses with stacks of 15’s; that’s not me, I’m afraid. Maybe someday, but not yet.
My fondness for tribute puzzles stems from a lack of imagination. When I first started constructing, the themes flowed easily … but after 4-1/2 years, the well is beginning to run dry. If there’s an anniversary of a significant event -- Martin Luther King Day, the finale of TV’s M*A*S*H, the premiere of “The Wizard of Oz,” the conquering of Mount Everest, the storming of the Bastille -- it provides a good starting point for brainstorming potential puzzles.
What is a perfect puzzle to you? Who are your favorite constructors?
For me, a perfect puzzle is one that, after I’ve finished it, I’m proud of myself for having done so. It’s one that makes me think hard, but that doesn’t send me to Google searching for some silly piece of trivia that no normal person could possibly know. I want a fair test of my cultural literacy.
I’m impressed by the work of so many constructors, far too numerous to name. If I had to single out just a few, I’d cite Manny Nosowsky, for his elegant, seemingly effortless themeless puzzles; Patrick Blindauer, for his oh-so-clever themes; and Bob Klahn, for his fresh, witty clues.
What is your background and what prompted you to make your first crossword?
I’m a happily retired attorney -- emphasis on the “happily.” Way back in the day, when I was going to law school, I could often be found in the law library … but never with a law book. Instead, I’d have Xeroxed the crossword page from the library’s newspaper (on a student’s budget, it was too expensive actually to buy a copy of a New York or Los Angeles paper in Massachusetts), and I’d be concentrating on doing the puzzle rather than my coursework.
I’d enjoyed solving puzzles over the years, but never gave any thought to how they were constructed until December 2004, when my husband and I gave my parents a gift in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary: passage for two on Stan Newman’s “Crossword Cruise,” since my dad had been a crossword aficionado his whole life. My folks inveigled us to join them on the cruise. Although competitive (timed) solving of crosswords left me cold (it felt too much like taking the SAT’s), Stan’s seminar on how to construct a puzzle fascinated me, and the rest is history. Luckily, I had wonderful mentors from the beginning: Myles Callum answered my cyberpost seeking an experienced eye to look over my first puzzle, and then Nancy Salomon took me under her wing, as she has so many aspiring constructors. Rich Norris was an absolute gem, too, giving me encouraging words and the hope that I just might be able to make a go of it if I stuck with it. I’m eternally grateful to all three of them.
The answer to your first question is pretty darned embarrassing, I confess. I’ve been pining for a dog ever since my husband and I moved to Florida in 2000, but alas, we live in a building that doesn’t allow pets. Since I’ve been suffering from dog-lust for the past nine years, there’s been a long-running inside joke between the two of us: when he does something nice for me (which is often, I’m glad to say), I pat him on the head and say “Good boy!” From that evolved this puzzle.
Once I realized that there were enough doggy-commands to form the basis of a puzzle, I just started playing with the possibilities. The potential entries that didn’t make the cut were:
SIT THIS ONE OUT 13
BEG THE QUESTION 14
BEG FOR MERCY 11
STAY THE COURSE 13
COME FLY WITH ME 13
COME AND GET IT 12
COME AS YOU ARE 12
COME WHAT MAY 11
COME CLEAN 9
HEEL SPURS 9
SHAKE N BAKE 10
Those entries wound up in the shredder because either the length was wrong, the cluing would have been contrived, the gridding would have been difficult, or (as in the case of BEG) I just didn’t think it was nice to ask the dog to be so undignified!
Which fills do you think will get "huh?" from the solvers and which ones do you expect to elicit a "wow" reaction?
I’m a little concerned about CAPE ANN. As an East Coast gal who lived in New England for seven years, I know it -- but I’m not so sure it’s familiar to folks on the other side of the country. I’m mindful of the foofaraw caused by a constructor’s use of NATICK in a New York Times puzzle not too long ago, and I don’t want to be the cause of so many solvers’ getting in a pet. (I’ve always wanted to use the phrase “in a pet” in a sentence, having learned it from crosswords. Finally, I’ve managed to do it. Hooray!)
I don’t believe there’s anything that will elicit a “Wow!” in this one. I’m satisfied if I can prompt a simple smile and a feeling of satisfaction upon completion.
How would you describe your style? You seem to be fond of the tribute puzzles.
My puzzles are generally pretty straightforward, as I aim for the early-to-midweek audience. I am in awe of the constructors who can do snazzy rebuses or themelesses with stacks of 15’s; that’s not me, I’m afraid. Maybe someday, but not yet.
My fondness for tribute puzzles stems from a lack of imagination. When I first started constructing, the themes flowed easily … but after 4-1/2 years, the well is beginning to run dry. If there’s an anniversary of a significant event -- Martin Luther King Day, the finale of TV’s M*A*S*H, the premiere of “The Wizard of Oz,” the conquering of Mount Everest, the storming of the Bastille -- it provides a good starting point for brainstorming potential puzzles.
What is a perfect puzzle to you? Who are your favorite constructors?
For me, a perfect puzzle is one that, after I’ve finished it, I’m proud of myself for having done so. It’s one that makes me think hard, but that doesn’t send me to Google searching for some silly piece of trivia that no normal person could possibly know. I want a fair test of my cultural literacy.
I’m impressed by the work of so many constructors, far too numerous to name. If I had to single out just a few, I’d cite Manny Nosowsky, for his elegant, seemingly effortless themeless puzzles; Patrick Blindauer, for his oh-so-clever themes; and Bob Klahn, for his fresh, witty clues.
What is your background and what prompted you to make your first crossword?
I’m a happily retired attorney -- emphasis on the “happily.” Way back in the day, when I was going to law school, I could often be found in the law library … but never with a law book. Instead, I’d have Xeroxed the crossword page from the library’s newspaper (on a student’s budget, it was too expensive actually to buy a copy of a New York or Los Angeles paper in Massachusetts), and I’d be concentrating on doing the puzzle rather than my coursework.
I’d enjoyed solving puzzles over the years, but never gave any thought to how they were constructed until December 2004, when my husband and I gave my parents a gift in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary: passage for two on Stan Newman’s “Crossword Cruise,” since my dad had been a crossword aficionado his whole life. My folks inveigled us to join them on the cruise. Although competitive (timed) solving of crosswords left me cold (it felt too much like taking the SAT’s), Stan’s seminar on how to construct a puzzle fascinated me, and the rest is history. Luckily, I had wonderful mentors from the beginning: Myles Callum answered my cyberpost seeking an experienced eye to look over my first puzzle, and then Nancy Salomon took me under her wing, as she has so many aspiring constructors. Rich Norris was an absolute gem, too, giving me encouraging words and the hope that I just might be able to make a go of it if I stuck with it. I’m eternally grateful to all three of them.
