Exclusive with the creator of Crossword Unclued

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Today I present the lastest Exclusive with one of the gallery's featured blogs, Crossword Unclued. Hopefully you enjoy learning a little about Crossword Unclued and it's creator, Shuchi from our Q. and A. session. I sure did and Shuchi has shared some top notch blog tips with us. And of course, do stop by the wonderful blog!

What is your name? 
Shuchismita Upadhyay. That is quite a mouthful even in my native tongue and friends usually shorten it to Shuchi – that is the handle I use online.


Crossword Unclued

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→ Gallery EntryTell us about your blog.
Crossword Unclued talks about crosswords of the cryptic kind. I write on various aspects of the word game – solving tips for beginners, guide to cryptic clue types, analysis of published crosswords and crossword-related trivia.

I have been blogging for close to three years now and am enjoying every minute of it.

Describe a popular feature/post or a favorite feature/post of your blog.
My first-ever post on the blog continues to be the most popular - a 7-step guide to solving cryptic crosswords.

The article that gets the most traffic via social bookmarks is about a special crossword from the New York Times, which was published during the US elections of 1996.

Of the articles posted in the last year, my personal favorites are those I gave a lot of time and thought to: Do you make these mistakes when writing clues? and Failures in solving crosswords: A statistical study.

Do you have any blogging tips you'd like to share, or have any advice for fellow bloggers or would be bloggers?
My top three tips -
(1) Blog about topics you truly care about. When you’re interested in your own writing, your audience will be interested too. Enthusiasm is contagious.
(2)  Don’t worry about doing things “right”. There is no single right way of blogging. Go by what makes sense and feels good to you.
(3) Participate. Engage with your readers and other bloggers. For me the best side-effect of blogging has been getting to know some wonderful people.

Are there any other ways that you can be contacted or other social networks where those interested can "connect" with you?
You are most welcome to join my blog’s Facebook page and follow me on twitter @ShuchiU.

Tell us about your personal favorite blog or blogs, or share one that you would recommend to others.
I read several fascinating blogs and find it hard to pick favorites. Since Glitterburned is about web design, I’ll mention my favorites from this niche – Smashing Magazine, Line25, BlogSpoon Graphics and Nymphont.

To those interested in cryptic crosswords, I recommend all the blogs linked under “Solving Sites” on Crossword Unclued’s sidebar.

♥Thanks so much Shuchi for participating in The Exclusive for GlitterBurned!