There are two types of people in this world: those who do crossword puzzles and those who don’t. I have been both, which means I can’t make up my mind — and I have a healthy number of unfinished grids.
Back when I subscribed to the print edition of The Des Moines Register, I attacked the crossword every morning with confidence, a pen and absolutely no realistic plan for finishing it. I rarely completed one. Not because I didn’t try, but because the puzzle and I had different expectations of my intelligence.
Still, I showed up daily. That has to count for something. Persistence? Delusion? Difficult to say.
A decade ago, I decided to share this character-building experience with our readers by adding crossword puzzles to CITYVIEW magazine. The response was positive — until it wasn’t.
One time, we printed the wrong answers. Being scolded by crossword enthusiasts isn’t fun. They responded swiftly, passionately and with a level of detail that suggested they do, in fact, finish their puzzles. Unlike me.
Then there was the time we switched puzzle providers and made the crosswords too easy. I thought this would be a win. Who doesn’t like feeling smart? Crossword people, apparently. They did not want easy. They wanted struggle. They wanted adversity. They wanted to question their life choices over a five-letter word for “obscure bird.” So, naturally, we switched back to the more challenging puzzles to preserve public peace.
All this raises one question: Who are these crossword people?
According to Global English Editing, crossword fans share traits like curiosity, resilience and a love of language. All true. I would add one more: They have time. Lots of it. Enough to both solve the puzzle and write a strongly worded response if 17-Across is slightly off.
These days, I still dabble. At the recommendation of our food writer, Jim Duncan, I subscribed to Smithsonian magazine, which features excellent crosswords tied to its articles. They are smart, engaging and, in my case, still mostly unfinished. Tradition matters.
And now, in what may or may not be a bold editorial decision, we are bringing crossword puzzles to our 14 Iowa Living magazines. After a lengthy search, we found ones we think readers will enjoy — challenging enough to avoid outrage, but hopefully not so difficult that I receive emails written entirely in capital letters.
So, whether you are a die-hard solver or someone who confidently fills in three answers and calls it a day, there will be something for you. As for me, I will be there with each issue, pen in hand, ready to not quite finish what I started.
Have a memorable Monday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
Read more of Shane Goodman's columns here. | 
