Okay, so, I’ve been keeping track of my yearly New York Times crossword stats, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. I started this whole thing at the beginning of the year, not really knowing what I was getting myself into. I mean, I’ve always liked puzzles, but the NYT crossword? That’s a whole different beast.
First off, I had to get familiar with the basics. You know, the rules, the usual stuff they throw at you. I started by tackling the Monday puzzles, which are supposed to be the easiest. Even then, some days I felt like I was hitting a wall. But I kept at it. I read some articles online, just to get a feel for what other people were doing. Some folks were talking about starting with the shorter clues, so I tried that. It kinda helped, giving me a few wins here and there.
- Start with the easy ones.
- Focus on the short clues first.
- Read articles and see what others are doing.
Then, I decided to go all-in and try to solve a puzzle every single day for a week. Man, that was tough. But you know what? It actually worked. I started seeing patterns, like those words that always pop up, or the way they clue certain things. It was like learning a new language, almost. There was this one clue, I think it was from January 25th, that I finally cracked after seeing it a couple of times in different puzzles.
I also started keeping notes. Yeah, I know, it sounds a bit much, but it really helped. I’d jot down words I kept seeing, themes that popped up, even the names of the constructors. It was like building my own little crossword dictionary. I made my own records and tracked my progress.
Over time, I could feel myself getting better. Mondays became easier, then Tuesdays, and so on. I even started finishing some of the Sunday puzzles, which are massive. There were definitely days when I wanted to just give up, especially with those tricky late-week ones. But I stuck with it, and I started to enjoy the challenge.
My progress
- Started with Monday puzzles.
- Solved a puzzle every day for a week to see patterns.
- Kept notes of recurring words, themes, and constructors.
- Gradually improved to solve more difficult puzzles.
It’s been almost a year now, and I’m still going. I wouldn’t say I’m a pro or anything, but I can hold my own. I even started looking forward to the harder puzzles, just to see if I can crack them. It’s like a little victory every time I fill in that last square. So, yeah, that’s my crossword journey. It’s been a mix of frustration and triumph, but overall, it’s been pretty awesome. And I finally get my own yearly record of the nyt crossword.
