08 Track 8

Review unit 3

fluency strategy: KWL

Page 118

Will Shortz: Puzzle Maker

When you ask a child what they would like to be when they grow up, common responses might include firefighter, pilot, doctor, or athlete.

But those jobs don’t capture the attention of all kids. Take Will Shortz, for example. In eighth grade, at the age of 14, Will had to write an essay about what he wanted to do with his life.

He wrote about his desire to become a puzzle maker − someone who creates games and puzzles, such as sudoku or crossword puzzles.

That same year, he sold his first puzzle to the magazine Venture. By the age of 16, Will was regularly contributing puzzles to magazines.

In college, Will found that there was no traditional way to study puzzles or become a puzzle maker.

There were no classes offered on puzzles. Fortunately, after becoming bored with his economics studies, Will learned that his university offered a special program that allowed students to suggest and create unique fields of study.

After creating and completing two courses on word and math puzzles, Will switched his major to enigmatology − the study of puzzles.

Will and his professors then created new classes that explored all aspects of puzzle- making.

He studied the history, construction, and psychology of puzzles, mostly on his own.

Because there were no professors of enigmatology, Will realized that he probably was the only student at his university to know more about his field than any of his professors!

He did well in school, but upon graduating, Will did not know how to get a job creating puzzles. For summer work, he joined the magazine Penny Press, where he realized that he could find work as a puzzle editor.

Will then found a job creating and editing puzzles for Games magazine. This seemed like a dream job because he could create new kinds of puzzles and be surrounded by great puzzle makers.

After fifteen years at Games, Will accepted a position as the editor of the New York Times’s crossword puzzle.

When he first joined, the newspaper’s crossword puzzle was seen as very difficult, and few readers could complete it. Will made fundamental changes, such as including everyday language in the clues and answers so that many more people could enjoy it.

Today, he is credited with making the crossword appealing to a wider audience. Some of Will’s most famous puzzles have related to the news for that day, such as the name of the winning president on Election Day, and a love-themed puzzle on Valentine’s Day.