I've never tried it, but I really didn't think it would be THAT hard.
I had an idea a few months ago for a TV bit. Last week, when I had to decide what to do last night, I came across the scrap of paper where I had written down that idea, and figured that since I didn't have anything else pop into my head, that I'd do it for this week.
That's when I learned that the concept of a Yooper crossword puzzle is a lot simpler than actually putting together a Yooper crossword puzzle.
It started off simply enough, as I had to come up with a few gag clues for the puzzle (the whole concept being a comedy piece, after all). It was after I came up with the clues that I discovered that the actual construction of the puzzle is a bear. I tried to fit all the words together on my own, and while I could do that, I had no way to make the actual puzzle (a vital visual in a bit about crossword puzzles, sadly).
I then found a website that would put together a crossword for you. However, it wouldn't put the words exactly where I wanted them to go. Instead, it put the answers in a way that would work for an actual crossword puzzle. And since several of the clues (and gags) I wrote up required certain words to be placed in certain positions, with certain letters matching up in certain places, it took a lot—maybe two dozen tries--for me to get everything to line up correctly.
Then I had to put the puzzle together, answer by answer, into video clips so they could go along with what I was saying on the air. I'm guessing—and this is just a guess, because I think I may have blocked some of the more frustrating moments from my memory—that for a two minute bit I spent 10 hours of my time this week.
I'm guessing that's not the most efficient use of my time, is it? Well, decide for yourself. It was either ten hours well spent, or a complete waste of enough time for several naps. I'm guessing there's really no in between on this one.
8-)
No comments:
Post a Comment