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Is this for you? |
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Confirmed Dates
Brighton Friends’ Meeting House Saturday 8 June 2013 09:30 to 16:00
We’ll have the use of a quiet, airy room in the charming Friends’ Meeting House in the historic centre of Brighton, where lunch will be provided by one of our characterful local cafes and there’ll be exquisite coffee, fruit and other goodies available all day.
London University College South Wing Saturday 13 July 2013 09:30 to 16:00
The summer’s central London class takes place in an easily accessible room on UCL’s leafy main quadrangle off Gower Street. Lunch will be brought to us, and there’ll be the same exquisite coffee, fruit and other goodies all day.
Burnley in the Autumn?
I'm looking at the possibility of running a Masterclass in Burnley in September or October. If you think you might be interested, I’d very much like to hear from you.
Further Afield
I’ll set up more classes wherever there are aspiring setters who’d like to come to them. If that describes you, please drop me a line, then let your friends know and put them in touch with me too, so that I know where to look.
Be My Agent
If you believe that your part of the country is crying out for a Masterclass, or if you’re involved in organising a series of events such as a festival that could include a Masterclass as part of its programme, why not be my agent? There’s very little work involved, so do get in touch and we can talk about the details. |
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Course Synopsis
Introduction Names and aims Use of software Why do people do crosswords?
A brief history of wordplay Crossword prehistory The first crosswords The British conversion Musical interlude Why Britain and not the US? Present and future
Clueing Quality, fairness and difficulty Ximenean “rules” and Libertarians Annotation [1] clue-oriented Wordplay types: characteristics, usefulness, indicators and pitfalls Abbreviations Annotation [2] solution-oriented Definitions One-part exceptions &Lits and Semi&Lits Misdirection Surface readings Exercises and clueing surgery
Grids American, British and other types Symmetry and fairness Creating a grid from scratch: patterns, blocks and traditional filling strategy Choosing and filling a library grid Maximising theme usage
Themes Why set crosswords with themes? Critical and incidental themes Types of theme Difficulty and satisfaction How Boatman themes work Density and breadth of theme Specialist knowledge Team exercise
The creative process Research Ten steps: start to publication The making of a Boatman puzzle What kind of person makes a setter? Developing a style Working patterns Is compiling an art or a craft? What is creativity? What does inspiration feel like?
Setting as a profession How to choose a pseudonym The mechanics of submitting House style The role of the editor A long-term plan Learning to evaluate your work The relationship between setter and solver Seeing a puzzle from the solver’s point of view Taking comments Self-criticism and persistence Default principles Will you be rich and famous?
Resources Books, websites & blogs, Twitter names, 1 Across and games
Students’ work Constructive criticism and individual advice Share an example of a completed puzzle, a work in progress or an idea for a theme Suggestions for follow-up |
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Guardian interview |
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© Copyright Ashley Knowles 2011-2013 | all rights reserved | colour design by Bernadina Lloyd www.bernadinalloyd.co.uk |
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Cryptics by Boatman |
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What students said about the first Crossword Masterclass
Many thanks for a very enjoyable and inspiring day Excellent day, loads of useful information Great day ... such a complete course Good to meet people who are trying to learn to play the same instrument and also get an insight into a maestro's approach I'm really happy I signed up for this. I definitely feel motivated to keep going on my crossword setting quest
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Information Inspiration Fun Value for money Would recommend |