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I've always wanted to make a Schrödinger puzzle. The old CLINTON/BOB DOLE puzzle was just so amazing. What I really want to make is a puzzle with two completely different solutions, but I think I need to be a better clue writer to do that. And to have more time on my hands!

As far as this puzzle goes, I often tell people (truthfully) that when my puzzles come out in The Times, I can't do them. That's especially true today; Will changed the vast majority of my clues. I'm confident that he thinks all of his modifications are better; I certainly think some of them are. We've discussed this briefly, and he seemed to think that my clues were just too weird. So now I'm trying to figure out if he's right. I had originally clued 60-A, for example, as "What Mrs. Ed would be" and had clued 61-A as "Tiller operator's drink, supposedly." Both of those clues require larger mental leaps than the clues that were eventually used. What do people think?

I will confess that I thought the gimmick here was localized enough that the puzzle itself would be pretty easy, which is why I tried to make the clues a bit harder than usual. But maybe I overdid it, or got it wrong, or what have you. Dr.Fill gets this puzzle right basically immediately (it doesn't get the Schrödinger element, of course, just filling in one of the two possible letters), and gives Will's clues a difficulty score of 54. It gets it right with my clues as well, but has to rework the answer twice to figure it out (which it does automatically); my clues get a difficulty score of 72.03. So my clues are harder, but that doesn't mean that they are either better or fair. Like I said, I'd be interested in comments from solvers.

My clues or Will's, though, I hope everyone found the puzzle fun.

– puzzle by Matt Ginsberg

This odd-looking grid was the result of an experiment to find some new themeless grid shapes. It began with the thought, "what would happen if I cut the grid almost entirely in half?" and morphed into the vaguely circular shape with wide open quadrants you see today. But boy was this puzzle a chore! It was one of my first attempts in sub-64-word grids, and as such took many, many hours to fill cleanly.

I submitted the grid, and got an acceptance contingent on replacing an entry in the SW quadrant. I worked to fix this and was able to get an OK-looking bottom half after needing to replace a good chunk of the grid due to the high interlock of the entries. The editing team initially accepted the changes, but challenged me further to make the bottom half more interesting, which had gotten duller in the redo. So, I went back and ended up tearing out and refilling the entire bottom half of the grid…again…to finally get the puzzle you see today.

The grid itself is unusual in that it only really has 4 long slots, yet a metric ton of 7-letter entries (24!) With that many mid-length words in this limiting grid design, they couldn't all be winners. Though, the SAT tutor in me enjoyed the preponderance of vocab words (NEONATE, APPARAT, IGNOBLE, STYGIAN.) The longer slots could have been a bit more exciting, but overall this grid was very instructive for me in learning to work with constrictive grid designs. At the time I said I wouldn't attempt another sub-64-word grid for a while, but I've since broken that several times over…

I hope, if anything, you enjoy the variety that a weird puzzle like this provides, and the story of its somewhat painful journey to fruition.

– puzzle by Ryan McCarty

This puzzle has an unusual history. It was first constructed in August 2017. In October Will et al. said that they liked the theme, but that one of the themers was too obscure. After settling on a replacement, I was given the challenge of coming up with a polished Monday fill.

I ran into a snag in the W and NW. After several attempts, I couldn't come up with a grid that didn't have either trite short fill or longer answers that were inappropriate for a Monday puzzle, or both. Finally, Sam Ezersky stepped in and fixed it. I suggested we share construction credit, but Sam declined. The puzzle was accepted for publication almost exactly a year ago.

Editors have made significant changes to my grids twice. Both times I learned a valuable lesson. In this case, I learned that when you paint yourself into a corner, as I did here, you have to go back far enough to revisit key decisions made earlier in the fill. Often, a less preferred option for a word slot ends up opening up the grid later on, resulting in a more successful fill overall.

– puzzle by Roland Huget

Welp, this is about everything Constructor Sam could have wanted:

• A theme with an unconventional revealer that leads to quite the "aha" moment.
• Kooky bits of fill like I AM ALI and DVD-VIDEO to accompany a youthful, sportsy vibe in AIGHT, NOOB, VIKES, BREES, etc.
• Shoutouts to (objectively) awesome things in the clues, from Kendrick Lamar to Taco Bell's Baja Blast.

But Constructor Sam is just one solver. Editor Sam certainly knows that this puzzle isn't for everyone, and promises to make sure Constructor Sam chills on those sick, twisted puzzles he creates ... it's been quite the stretch as of late! That said, Editor Sam is at least put at ease by the fact that there's still universally fun fill in TWIST TOP, ROOM TEMP, ACTED BIG and HIP-HOP, as well as a nice theme set he hopes any solver can appreciate.

Whether you're a fan of Constructor Sam, Editor Sam or think Sam should just stick to leading the #HiveMind from his Twitter ... hope you got something out of this one!

– puzzle by Sam Ezersky

Well, where to start? My name's John Ciolfi, I am a graduate of Fordham University in New York (Go Rams!), and I currently work for the National Hockey League as a producer with NHL.com International. I've been a fan of solving and creating word puzzles since I was a little kid, slowly working my way up from criss-crosses and word-searches into "the hard stuff", and so I by the time I attended Fordham, I was solving the Times crossword almost daily (as well as the cryptic crossword in the NY Post, until they stopped publishing that, but that's neither here nor there…).

By my senior year, I created a series of crosswords for the school newspaper, and after getting some positive reviews, I figured I'd try to send some out to the Times. They all got rejected. In hindsight, it was deserved as each puzzle was lacking in some way, but the shot to my confidence kept me from submitting any for a few years until I figured I had something worth publishing. Fast-forward to this year.

I wasn't expecting much to come out of this concept; I simply noticed that ANDES, an extremely common crossword entry, could be read as "and ES." I tried adding it to different words and phrases, but it wasn't until I came up with FOR THE WINES that I thought I had something. I wanted to make sure I had each vowel represented (and elongated) in the theme answers, so HOUSE PETES was the last one I came up with (once I found out that my puzzle was getting published after Election Day, I was more than a little concerned, especially when I found out Pete Sessions had lost, but they're still technically in office until January, plus there's also a Rep. Pete Visclosky, so I didn't have to worry about my debut puzzle being immediately outdated!).

Sam Ezersky at the Times was a big help for me on this puzzle. Rather than reject it, he asked me to try to work around some problem areas and listened to some other suggestions for theme answers (BUNNY HOPES, NIGHT CAPES, ASTRO POPES and MAJOR TOMES were all possibilities that eventually got pushed aside). I do kind of wish they had kept my clue for AORTA — "It comes from the heart" — but that's just a nitpick. In the end, pretty much the entire puzzle got retooled over 4 or 5 versions (with the exception of the SW corner — I'm really proud to be able to have two entries next to each other — ANGIOGRAM and BERNOULLI — that are making their Times debut in my Times debut, especially since both of them were there from the start).

In the end, I'm excited to finally get over the hump and get my first puzzle published in the Times! Hopefully, this is just the start! Thanks for solving!

– puzzle by John Ciolfi

I thought of this concept while running, which marks the first time I've ever had a cogent thought while running. More specifically, I thought of the "build a word" idea, hoping that I'd be able to find a nice enough selection of words which could be built up that there'd be a shot one would have an apt revealer. I wrote a script to find all the 5s in my word list which would work (daring not even dream a 6 might work — I did confirm this later though!) and was very happy to see BEARD pop out, immediately thinking of today's revealer. The theme fell nicely together after that. I like how as you solve, it seems like a homonym puzzle, and then BEAR shows up and hopefully provides some temporary confusion (as a bear showing up is wont to do). And shoutout to mom and sister, both gigantic 34-Across fans.

Some people dislike the structure a central 9 often forces, with lots of 7s in the corners, but I'm a big fan. Because this usually means each corner only interacts with one themer, I find I can usually convert a decent number of those 7s into assets (e.g., I like A-LISTER, PLANET X, and JANELLE in the NE). And I was able to get down to 72 words, allowing for some additional nice answers going across (again, some people dislike having non-theme across answers as long as theme answers, like FALSE IDOL and THIS IS WAR, but I think it's almost always fine, and especially so here because of the circles).

Happy No-Shave November!

– puzzle by Sam Trabucco

With the publication of this puzzle, the two of us each have one more Saturday NYT appearance (1) than every woman constructor combined (0) in 2018. Here's hoping that will change in the coming weeks — if not, it could be the fourth time in eight years that the NYT has gone ohfer on publishing women on Saturdays.

You can find more stats on XWord Info; additionally, if you're a woman seeking a constructing partner, feedback/test-solving on your puzzle, or perhaps just someone to yell with about how low the number zero is, you can contact us and many other constructors through the Crossword Puzzle Collaboration Directory.

And one last plug: it's not too late to throw your support behind The Inkubator, a forthcoming weekly puzzle from crossworld stars Tracy Bennett and Laura Braunstein.

Also, we're very proud of this puzzle! Thanks to the NYT team for having us, and for the brilliant clues at 17-Across and 9-Down.

– puzzle by Doug Peterson and Erik Agard

I'm very excited for my NYT debut. I was an Economics major at the University of Chicago and now spend my days at an ad agency in Austin, TX. I've been solving the Times crossword off and on since college, but with increased vigor since becoming a dad earlier this year. My new schedule comes with a good deal more at-home hours, and I've filled some of that newfound surplus trying out crossword construction.

I had been toying with this theme idea for a while, keeping a running list of potential theme answers on my phone. I liked the idea of cluing the flipped form instead, because, in addition to the solving curveball, it allows you to showcase both versions without having to dedicate double the grid real estate. This allowed me to include nine examples of themed wordplay (plus a revealer) rather than just three or four.

The most challenging part was achieving the interlock in all four quadrants, given a relatively short list of options in my theme bank. MANCAVE and PACKRAT each span two other theme entries which put some strain on the fill in those sections. But those were two of my favorites, so I went for the higher theme density, and I think the final version worked out well.

Oddly, the example that first gave me the idea (JACKBLACK/BLACKJACK) didn't make the final version. I had it in the northwest but was having trouble filling the surrounding area satisfactorily. Other near misses for various reasons include KINGFISHER, ARMSTRONG, and SHOWBOAT.

– puzzle by Brandon Koppy

This theme was inspired by the famous NY Post headline: "Headless Body Found in Topless Bar." I found four long entries for which I could create word rebuses. Both Headless body and Topless Bar were ineligible because of their unmatchable word lengths, so I substituted TOPLESS SWIMSUIT and HEADLESS CHICKEN - two offbeat entries that I wasn't sure would pass muster, but I'm glad they did. The latter was at least better than HEADLESS TURKEY — a "fowl" idea for a puzzle appearing on Thanksgiving.

When doing the fill here, as I like to do with many of my 15 x 15 themed puzzles, I try to include a lot of 7 or 8-letter entries. They lend themselves to better clues, IMO. So in this one my favorite entries are ITS A LIE ("Fake news!",) ONE UNIT (Blood drive donation,) LAKEBED (Superior floor,) DISARMED (Took the heat off?,) and PODESTA (first time this was clued in relation to the Clinton campaign's hacked campaign manager — it has always been clued as an Italian mayor).

Some of the other 7's and 8's were infrequently used in crosswords, as well — RAPPELS, YACHTER, and PASS AWAY. As a constructor, you have to balance the benefits of including a lot of 7+ entries with the inevitable crossing of 3 and 4-letter words, some of which are overused or not easy to clue in a fresh way. I think this puzzle has a little of that issue, but I think worth the payoff for some of the better clues of the longer fill.

– puzzle by Randolph Ross

When I was a kid, I remember seeing my grandmother solve entire books of crossword puzzles in ink. Nowadays, I have a friend who is always flying across the country to crossword competitions. Somehow, these two people in my life sparked an interest not so much in solving puzzles, but in constructing them.

In the wee hours of a West Hollywood, Calif. winter night (yes, there is a winter season in these parts), I downloaded CrossFire and started tinkering. Before long, I had built three puzzles and, aiming for the stars, sent them to Will.

He burst my bubble promptly — "bland" was a descriptor — but regardless, I felt this one had promise. I revisited, revised, resubmitted, and this time, received a more encouraging response.

Compound answers like BBC AMERICA, SALARY HIKE, POCKET COMB, and TIME TRAVEL sang to me. SQUILLIONS was a lot of fun, too, all the more so because it is a debut (along with BLOWS APART). I had to put in a lot of work to get the crosses up on their feet.

As I prepare these notes, I see that my grid is identical to one by David Steinberg, and I am pretty sure this happened because I had seen his name as a prolific constructor, and thought, well, heck, I can tackle four long triple stacks, too. My puzzle is now running the day before a new one of his tomorrow, so thanks for the inspiration, David. You have a new neighbor!

By the way, I'm really excited because this is not just my first puzzle to appear in The Times, it's my first anywhere. Talk about a feather in my cap! I hope everyone enjoys it.

– puzzle by Temple Brown

the most interesting behind-the-scenes story about this puzzle is that it began with an idea that didn't end up in the puzzle. it occurred to me that HEARING AIDE could be clued as a person who helps out at a trial, perhaps {Court stenographer?}. the "add a terminal E that does not alter the pronunciation" wordplay mechanism then seemed like the way to go, so i came up with a whole bunch more possibilities. looking over the whole list, i noticed that i actually preferred the ones where the changed word and the original word were not just versions of the same word, like AID/AIDE are, so the seed entry ended up on the cutting room floor. i do still like that clue, though.

cluing a 140-word puzzle is always a big job, but on this one, i think i wrote something like 90% the clues on the first sitting, and then spent several days trying to think of a good clue for MISSPELL, which seemed ripe for a fun clue. i'm pleased that my clue was kept in, both because it reminds me of my days as a physics teacher and because i enjoy at least thinking about the possibility that somebody might be double-double-crossed, thinking that "F in physics" might refer to force.

– puzzle by Joon Pahk

Astute observers will note that this is very similar to my debut offering from July. I have other ideas, I swear! My future offerings differ in core concept and thematic density. That said, I've had this idea for some time… Everyone's got an inner nerd! I've got, like, six of them.

You know how they say starlight is a glimpse into the past? Sunlight takes eight minutes to travel the 93 million miles from the Sun to Earth, so sunlight we witness at 10:00 AM is a look at stellar reactions that occurred at 9:52. Telescopes help us witness the universe as it evolved millions — even billions — of years ago. Since I submitted this puzzle, I've been gaining experience and evolving as a constructor. It's been only a year, but it feels like a lifetime ago. You, dear solver, are looking at cruciverbal starlight.

Were I to write the puzzle today I would do things a bit differently. I would likely remove two of the entries: DESIGNER DRUG, which I first heard about as a promising potential cancer treatment (but which also has an unfortunate meaning); and SCREENER DVDS, which is a bit of an outlier in terms of familiarity. I'd look to replace those two entries with just one in the middle row, leaving more opportunity for "bonus fill" and cleaning up suboptimal entries like SSN, TOV, and PLO in the process.

It took me a minute to realize, but that lower-right corner isn't mine! My submission had:

- P P P
N E R D
P R O F
R U M S

I suspect it was the PPP/PDFS crossing that was deemed unfriendly for Monday solvers. I dig classical music, but if you don't then PPP could prove difficult. There is a myriad of fill possibilities for the corner... GDAY is fun, but I would not opt for NAS/ALIA myself. It's interesting to see what happens behind the crossword scenes!

Props to the NYT crew for the fresh clue for (Idris) ELBA!

– puzzle by Evan Kalish