PETER TURCHI, A MUSE AND A MAZE — Every piece of writing is a... puzzle. This is true not only of a complex satirical novel but also of a... sonnet,... a love letter, and an email to a colleague about a problem at work. ... Should we start with a joke? A quotation?
Every piece of writing is a kind of puzzle. This is true not only of a complex satirical novel but also of a Shakespearean sonnet, an autobiographical essay, a play or screenplay, a love letter, and an email to a colleague about a problem at work. Whom do we address? With what tone? How should we begin? What do we want the reader to think or feel or understand? Is it best to be direct or indirect, sincere or disarming? Should we start with a joke? A quotation?
| A. | Loud and deeply mournful | PLANGENT |
| B. | Author of "Middlemarch" | ELIOT |
| C. | Mississippi county seat named for a variety of tree | TUPELO |
| D. | Final, ultimate | EVENTUAL |
| E. | Corkscrew-shaped pasta | ROTINI |
| F. | Bit of lumber that, oddly, measures 1½" x 3½" (hyph.) | TWOBYFOUR |
| G. | Ability to comprehend | UPTAKE |
| H. | Income from book sales | ROYALTIES |
| I. | Pirate ship; one of the Edsel models | CORSAIR |
| J. | Loud nocturnal predator (2 wds.) | HOOTOWL |
| K. | Blows up or plays up | INFLATES |
| L. | Ready to eat a large portion of crow | ABJECT |
| M. | Parisian schoolgirl of fiction | MADELINE |
| N. | Good enough to employ | USABLE |
| O. | Begin on a journey (2 wds.) | SETFORTH |
| P. | Heartily praise, rave about | EXTOL |
| Q. | Left speechless with wonder | AWESTRUCK |
| R. | Provincial home to Bluenosers (2 wds.) | NOVASCOTIA |
| S. | Setting for some taxidermy specimens | DIORAMA |
| T. | Lose sleep over a decision, maybe | AGONIZE |
| U. | Event stemming from "bad luck," literally | MISHAP |
| V. | Statement made publicly | AVOWAL |
| W. | Title figure played by Paul Muni in 1937's Best Picture | ZOLA |
| X. | "____ speech is not from lip to ear, but rather from heart to heart" (William Jennings Bryan) | ELOQUENT |