Okay, so, I was messing around with this crossword puzzle, and it hit me – I gotta start keeping track of these clues. You know, build up my own little database, bit by bit. It’s like, why didn’t I think of this before? I mean, I love doing crosswords, but sometimes I get stuck on the same kind of clues over and over again. So, I figured, might as well start collecting them, right?
First, I grabbed a notebook. Nothing fancy, just a regular old spiral-bound one I had lying around. Then, I started going through some old crosswords I had saved – yeah, I’m one of those people who keeps them. I started jotting down the clues and their answers, one by one. It was kinda tedious at first, I won’t lie.
After a while, I thought, there’s gotta be a better way to do this. A notebook is fine, but it’s not exactly searchable, you know? So, I fired up my computer and opened up a new spreadsheet. Much better! Now I could actually organize these things.
My Little System
- Column A: Clue. I just type the clue in here, word for word.
- Column B: Answer. Pretty self-explanatory, right?
- Column C: Source. This is where I write down where the clue came from. Like, “Sunday Times” or “Puzzle Book #3.”
- Column D: Date. Just to keep track of when I encountered the clue.
I started copying over the clues and answers from my notebook into the spreadsheet. Then I kept going, adding new ones as I worked through more puzzles. It felt good to see the list growing. I started to see patterns, too. Like, certain types of clues that always seemed to trip me up. Now, when I see one of those, I can go straight to my spreadsheet and check if I’ve seen something similar before.
It’s still a work in progress, this little clue collection of mine. But I’m already finding it super helpful. It’s like having my own personal crossword cheat sheet, but one that I actually built myself, you know? And it’s kinda fun, in a nerdy sort of way. I recommend all you crossword lovers give this a try.
