The Time I Made a “Problematic” Crossword

Looking for ways to expand my creative talents, I once got into attempting to write crosswords. I sold one and then lost my interest.

The way you sell a crossword is pitching a theme. It’s the longer entries that usually have some play on words that ties into a crossword title.

Mine was Tri-State Area. I thought of the idea to have geographical landforms with three state abbreviations in each clue.

However, interlocking all the other clues was not easy so I enlisted someone else from a message board to do that and we split the pay.

One of my clues was Eminem and the publisher thought that didn’t pass the breakfast test (the idea that people don’t want to read clues that are too controversial while doing the crossword during breakfast).

I was assuming because this was in the height of #metoo that Eminem was an abuser of women, but Eminem was actually abused physically and sexually as a child and had no history of being an abuser himself. The editor/publisher said it was because he had controversial lyrics.

Because it was my first crossword ever, let alone this publisher, I didn’t want to bite the hand that fed me and give him any pushback. But I made my case. The editor said that they try to balance controversy with the need to provide a wide…