What Words Belong: Brief Followup

I got some interesting and surprising feedback from my last post. Several other constructors reached out to me anonymously or privately to say they mostly agree with what I wrote but were too apprehensive to publicly say so out of fear of getting on the wrong side of the crossword puzzle commentariat or the more ideological editors. One pointed me to a few submission spec sheets, like that of Universal Crossword, that specifically ask to avoid using some of the words I mention in my last post, such as OGLE and ODS. I've actually published a puzzle at Universal, so they either changed the guidelines or I didn't completely read them -- either is possible. I might do a future post centered around some of the bullets on their spec sheet. But I don't have the time or energy to do it right, at the moment. (Hey, I made a sentence that changes in meaning if you remove the comma, and I didn't even mean to -- cool!) 

I really wasn't expecting the type of outreach I received. I didn't think I was saying anything that "controversial." I figured I was just stating my very reasonable, well thought out, beautifully elucidated opinions. Certainly some people will disagree with my post (that's kinda the point), but I don't expect anybody to hold it against me. Maybe I'm being Pollyannaish, though -- and if I am... well, not everybody has to like everybody else, I suppose. (Although, to be honest, I pretty much do like everybody else.)

Whatever the case, I'm going to keep thinking what I think and occasionally write it up on this little podunk word blog of mine. It's something of a calling: I have the perfect blend of no self-esteem and really high self-esteem that makes it easy to just say what I really believe. On the one hand, I feel it's safe to speak my mind with full candor because nobody gives a shit what I have to say, anyway; on the other hand, if I do offend somebody, I figure I'm so damn charming, they will come back around on me eventually. I'm not batting 1.000 on this latter proposition, but I have a pretty good career average.

More to come... at some point.