Do you create your own puzzles?...

So does anyone else here actually create puzzles or do we all come here to play?

As I mentioned elsewhere I don't have the patience to make puzzles but I'm interested in those that do... it strikes me as something difficult that requires lots of patience and I'm not sure what the rewards are, though I guess if you manage to get something published that must give a warm glow or something like it?!

Re : Do you create your own puzzles?

I have created a few of my own puzzles but only relatively simple ones for quizzes and so on.

I write an annual quiz for a local charity and one of the rounds is puzzles.

For instance the type of puzzle where you have

The 7 W of the W

and you have to work out what the W are: wonders of the world in this case.

They are quite good fun to write!

Re : Do you create your own puzzles?

I think that type of puzzle does have a particular name, Pete, though I have to admit the name escapes me whilst writing this!

However they are good fun and the good news is that with a little searching you can find long lists of these puzzles that generous people have posted on the internet for free.

Re : Do you create your own puzzles?

Here's another little puzzle for you:

What has four legs when it is born, has two legs in middle age and then three legs when it gets old?

It's an old riddle but if you've not come across it before then it will have you scratching your head

Re : Do you create your own puzzles?

A human Gemma: when they are born they crawl on four legs, then they walk on two legs during adulthood, and then when you get old and ancient and your bones are creaky and done for, you use a walking stick

And yes I'm not that clever enough to work it out I have heard of this one before several times in riddle books and that sort of thing.

Re : Do you create your own puzzles?

Like most people I'm afraid I prefer to play puzzles that other people have made rather than create my own. I think it takes a certain ability to be able to create puzzles, or patience at least - I'm afraid those are not qualities that I possess in particularly high degree!

Re : Do you create your own puzzles?

Creating puzzles certainly does require patience... like anything you get better and quicker over time however.

With many puzzle types there are also techniques you can use to make it more likely that you will create a solvable puzzle, and patterns that you can use to start the solver off etc.