Here’s a random bit of personal news:
I’ve been doing the New York Times crossword for years, and on Saturday, my debut puzzle will appear in the paper!

All it took was a few rejections, many hours of self-induced frustration, and a lot of rewrites. But I squeezed in 10 never-before-seen entries and 35 illegal Scrabble words. So… success!
It’s a tough themeless grid. (It’s a Saturday puzzle, so that’s not unusual.)
While you need a subscription to play it online or through the app, you can read more about it here.
(Image via Shutterstock)