The Stickler Weekly 28 Solution

Last December I had the privilege of showing a prominent UK setter, Don Manley, around Sydney. Don and his wife, Sue, were special guests at the Australian Crossword Club‘s annual get-together at the Harold Park Hotel. Don has written crosswords for all the major UK papers and also does crossword editing for a number of publications including The Church Times. Don encouraged me to submit some puzzles (which include church terms), which I did (my first one is here). However, this was a different experience for me, as my Australian cryptics have never been subjected to scrutiny by a crossword editor, such is the nature of cryptic crosswords in Australia.
Not having a crossword editor definitely makes my job easier. I set the standard, I set the rules, and set the tone. Basically, my clues just have to pass a spellchecker and my work will be published. I could even include something risque in the clues or answers, and no-one would pick it up before publication. I can rely on solvers to keep me honest and I’ve always paid attention to constructive feedback, which tends to keep me in check. There are some negatives in not having a crossword editor, such as basic clueing mistakes that sneak through and puzzle difficulty is hard to judge by yourself.
Having a crossword editor like Don Manley isn’t all roses either. Editors generally don’t negotiate with setters: they change clues rather than ask for rewrites, so the finished work isn’t totally your own. However, a crossword editor provides a safety net that not only protects a setter (to some degree) from any solver backlash but also gives a setter an opportunity to learn and improve and be consistent.