We continue our Arkansas Living contributor Q&A series with our crossword creator, Victor Fleming. The Mississippi native and former Little Rock district court judge has spent decades honing his craft as a crossword puzzle creator. After law school at UALR’s William H. Bowen School of Law and practicing law for nearly two decades, he retired from the bench in 2024. Now, he continues to write puzzles while mentoring aspiring cruciverbalists and practicing law part time. He is the author of two books and has had more than 1,500 crossword puzzles published in various venues, including Arkansas Living.
What’s the most creative excuse you heard as a traffic court judge? In the late ’90s, a lady charged with going 111 miles per hour on I-630 pled guilty. I asked, “What were you thinking?” She replied, “It was a new car.” I asked, “So?” She said, “Well, Judge, I thought there was a law that says if you have a new car, you get one chance to see how fast it will go.”
What sparked your interest in crossword puzzles? My mother encouraged me to solve crosswords when I was 12. She said, “It’s good for the brain.” … In my early 20s, I started solving the New York Times puzzles, thinking, “If that person can write a crossword, I ought to be able to.” I toyed with writing them in 1977, but it was so time-consuming, I decided to defer the activity until personal computers and the internet were invented.
How did it feel to have your first puzzle published in the New York Times? Of my 47 published Times puzzles, 25 are collaborations with other authors. In 2005, I had two Times crosswords published about a month apart: The first I’d submitted 14 months earlier, the second 14 days earlier. The second was based on a current event (election of a pope). Having waited for over a year for the first puzzle, it felt really good to have a second one run shortly thereafter.
How long does it take to create a crossword puzzle? My average time on an Arkansas Living puzzle is about three hours.
How do you balance making the puzzles challenging but still accessible for a wide range of solvers? I try to write easy clues for the Arkansas Living crosswords. And I always make a few clues about Arkansas. … People love being able to finish a puzzle and see answers that are people, places and things they’re familiar with.
In addition to crossword puzzles, what other puzzles do you enjoy? Other Times puzzles, including Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, Letter Boxed and The Mini.
With the rise of digital puzzle games and apps, are people still passionate about traditional crosswords? Yes indeed, more so than ever, in my opinion.
Happy solving, and no speeding,
Jennifer Christman Cia