My being a writer and playing Scrabble are connected. If I have a good writing day, I'll take a break and play online Scrabble. My favorite word as a child was 'carrion,' before I knew what it meant. I later created crossword puzzles, which was a lot about puns, and how words would create these strange, strange things. - Meg Wolitzer

What author doesn't love a good crossword puzzle?

We search for that exact right word that produces precision and salience to the amorphous idea floating around in our head. To depict our flavor of the truth. To reach an audience with a specific message. Working on crossword puzzles builds mental acuity and adeptness that frees the mind to consider different interpretations of words and phrases, saving hours upon hours of staring at the wall, or out a window, waiting for that ideal word to fall from the sky, a necessary and frustrating component of the writing process.

For me, Berlin's four theories of composition formed the backbone of our Composition Theory 8850 course. Comparing different perspectives on the role of writer, audience, knowledge, reality, language, truth and pedagogy informed all other topics. To honor/celebrate/memorialize this claim, I have constructed a themed crossword puzzle around Berlin's contribution, with supporting words/clues reflective of the general writing process and, when necessary to make a clue relevant, higher education.

The puzzle is interactive. You can choose to cheat or not. It's up to you. If you'd rather complete a print version of the puzzle, download the PDF available at the lower right of the screen. To move from one clue to the next, use the "Enter" key or click on the clue. Tabbing will frustrate you to no end.

Good luck!