Puzzle constructors, new and not-so-new, might benefit from the advice offered here by the pros in the crossword business. Over the last few years there have been many helpful posts on the cruciverb-l mailing list.

Nancy Salomon's "Constructing Tips" is probably the most straightforward and important collection of tips that any constructor will read.

• *** Constructing Tips, Nancy Salomon

Here a few other great blurbs:

• What Makes a Good Themeless, Brad Wilber (NEW!)

• Theme Advice for Novices, Nancy Salomon

• Advice on Themes, Roy Leban

• Theme Entries, Nancy Salomon

• Legitimizing Entries, Bob Klahn

• Letting Go, Nancy Salomon

• Don't Try to Get Away With Things, Nelson Hardy

• Beware the Lure of High-Scrabble-Count Letters, Nancy Salomon

• Quote Themes, Rich Norris

• A Few Words About Blocks, Roy Leban

• Some Thoughts on Word Lists , Nancy Salomon

• Sparkle, by Manny Nosowsky

• Cluing, Mel Rosen et al

• Advicing on Making 21x21 Puzzles, Nancy Salomon

• Why Editors Change Clues, Nancy Salomon

• Puns in Crosswords, Nancy Salomon

• A Solver's Perspective, Jamie Hall