Live Crossword Setting

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A message from Dean Mayer (Anax, Loroso etc)

Hello everyone.

Early next week – Tuesday 11th September, 4pm UK time to be precise – I’m going to try something new. I really don’t know if it has been attempted before.

There are some YouTube videos of solvers tackling daily cryptics, but how about watching a setter creating a puzzle from scratch, live, in real time, as it happens etc?

Everybody is welcome to come and watch, and there will be live chat so you can interact with each other, ask me questions about the setting process, all that good stuff.

The live broadcast will be via Twitch (I no longer use YouTube) and the channel is here: https://www.twitch.tv/deanothelastofus

There is a countdown timer below the main screen so you can remind yourself of when it all starts.

I really hope to see you there – it should be a lot of fun, although it may also be a one-off!

Very best wishes

Dean

14 comments on “Live Crossword Setting”

  1. This sounds like it will be great entertainment, Dean. How long do you expect the broadcast to last? Compiling a crossword usually takes me several days! Do Twitch broadcasts remain available for viewing later?

  2. Hi Tony

    My ‘best’ is somewhere close to 6 hours, possibly nearer 5, but the stream will be some hours longer than that as there will be explanations of what the various bits of crossword software do.

    When it’s all over the stream will become a VOD (video on demand) that will stay on Twitch for 14 days, at which point they automatically delete it. But I will get it uploaded from Twitch to YouTube where it will stay for ever and ever.

  3. Thanks, Dean, I look forward to seeing it. I found your breakdown of compiling a puzzle on BD (or was it CrosswordUnclued?) very interesting, btw.

  4. I look forward to seeing at least some of it, but Tuesdays are my Bridge Club evening, so I’ll have to catch up with the rest later.

    As it happens, I spent this afteroon composing a thematic special for the Irish fiddler Kevin Burke, who’s staying with us this weekend, while listening to Test Match Special. It was finished in about 4 hours.

     

  5. I’ll be watching this live. Brilliant idea, especially with it able to accrue future views on youtube and get new people into cryptics.

    I’m guessing fewer casualties than during your TLoU streams, but you never know.

  6. Nila, with your TLoU reference you might just be my new favouritest person, but as for ‘fewer casualties’? Too early to say.

  7. Live, streamed solving…then live, streamed setting…how long before the first ever live, streamed BLOG?!?…(or did I miss that?…)

  9. Already impatiently checking the countdown timer… (just of curiosity Dean, why have you abandoned YouTube? given that the stream will be uploaded there regardless?)

  10. Hi Ilan. Twitch is just a better environment for content providers, while YT emphasises viewers. Twitch makes it much easier for viewers to interact, subscribe, donate etc, and we’re seeing more and more YouTubers move over to it.

    I’ll keep YT for the occasional topic/edited videos, but that’s about it.

  11. Can I just point out that, unlike YouTube, the channel is always open for chat, so if you want to dive in early (there’s about an hour until we start) you can do so – let people know you’re there, say hello to each other, even do crossword talky things.

  13. A fascinating insight into Setterland. Five hours flew by, and the puzzle turned out ace. (Acely?)

    Thanks to anax.

  14. very enjoyable to watch a master at work — wasn’t able to ask the following question (because I forgot): “how do you pitch your crosswords to different difficulty levels (e.g. prize guardian vs. monday guardian etc.)?

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