FAQ's
Q - Will there be a blog page?
A - Possibly . . . For now, if you'd like to be on our email list (for updates, etc.) send us an email at TalkingPuzzles@gmail.com. Just in case the internet or this website were to go down and we need to re-connect in the future, we can be contacted by mail at Jeri Mertes, 3724 N. Minnesota Ave, Florence, AZ 85132. If you leave us your physical address and phone number, in addition to your email address, we will keep a list (off the internet) for future reference. This info will NOT be shared with anyone.
Q – Can anyone write a ‘talking puzzle”?
A - I was only able to write these, and fit all the words into the 324 spaces, with God’s amazing help. I believe with God’s help, any of us can do anything, as long as it’s His will for us. So ask your question to God.
However, if you mean ‘can you create “talking puzzles” for our us’, well, send us a sample or two and we’ll see. . . (But I suggest you work 5 - 10 of our puzzles first, so you understand the complexity before you attempt to do one on your own – with God’s help.)
Q - Why are there so many of the same words repeated in the puzzles?
A - Just like when you are speaking plain English, or telling a story, you repeat many common words more than once, and there just isn’t a substitute for words like ‘the, and, if’, etc. Even larger words can be repeated more than once in a puzzle especially if they are closely related to the topic. If there is a substitute, I’ll use it instead of repeating the same word, if it fits in the puzzle. I do my best to make each clue, using the repetitive words, different from the others by putting them into phrases, but as the puzzle fills and the spaces get smaller, I often have to split my phrases up again to fit them in. (It kills me to do that, and God often shows me a place for them that I had missed completely. He’s amazing !)
Q – How do we know which ‘the’ or ‘if’ is the correct one?
A – (Please read the 'How To' page for the complete answer to this question.) Here's the brief answer: When you work the puzzle, it doesn’t matter which ‘the’ or ‘if’ you locate in the puzzle grid – as long as you don’t write the same coordinates down for more than one. In other words, the coordinates are interchangeable, but if for example the word ‘the’ appears, by itself, three times in a puzzle, there must be three separate coordinate answers, one for each of them, but you can place them in any order on your answer sheet. The only person checking your answers will be YOU!
Q – What other subjects will be made into puzzles in the future? Can we have input into that?
A – We currently have dozens of puzzles under construction – presently about 100 of them (see tab In The Works). Best way to judge their content is by the packet name or category they are in, but even then we often interject humor into the serious topics, too, and sometimes we even switch the category while completing the puzzle, so it would be difficult to nail down. And, yes, you can email us with suggestions, or even interesting short stories (preferably true, based on your own experiences) and we may decide to put them into a puzzle and credit you with the idea). Please send your puzzle ideas, suggestions or narratives to us at: TalkingPuzzles@gmail.com
Q - How hard is it to create a Talking Puzzle?
A - For us, it takes our whole company - 4 of us - to create a puzzle from start to finish. Our CEO, who is God, is the inspiration and the founder; Jeri is the Writer and Editor-in-Chief, Debbie is the Typist and proofreader, and Steve is the Web Master and IT Director. Debbie is the only one getting paid. It takes us a total of about 4 - 5 hours of combined time to create one puzzle. We should charge a lot more, based on that, but God wants us to make our prices as low as possible, so we are just trying to cover the one salary and the web expenses, and don't expect to actually make a profit on this enterprise. We all love what we're doing, and we've never worked so closely with God before, so it's lots of fun!
Q - Will there be a blog page?
A - Possibly . . . For now, if you'd like to be on our email list (for updates, etc.) send us an email at TalkingPuzzles@gmail.com. Just in case the internet or this website were to go down and we need to re-connect in the future, we can be contacted by mail at Jeri Mertes, 3724 N. Minnesota Ave, Florence, AZ 85132. If you leave us your physical address and phone number, in addition to your email address, we will keep a list (off the internet) for future reference. This info will NOT be shared with anyone.
Q – Can anyone write a ‘talking puzzle”?
A - I was only able to write these, and fit all the words into the 324 spaces, with God’s amazing help. I believe with God’s help, any of us can do anything, as long as it’s His will for us. So ask your question to God.
However, if you mean ‘can you create “talking puzzles” for our us’, well, send us a sample or two and we’ll see. . . (But I suggest you work 5 - 10 of our puzzles first, so you understand the complexity before you attempt to do one on your own – with God’s help.)
Q - Why are there so many of the same words repeated in the puzzles?
A - Just like when you are speaking plain English, or telling a story, you repeat many common words more than once, and there just isn’t a substitute for words like ‘the, and, if’, etc. Even larger words can be repeated more than once in a puzzle especially if they are closely related to the topic. If there is a substitute, I’ll use it instead of repeating the same word, if it fits in the puzzle. I do my best to make each clue, using the repetitive words, different from the others by putting them into phrases, but as the puzzle fills and the spaces get smaller, I often have to split my phrases up again to fit them in. (It kills me to do that, and God often shows me a place for them that I had missed completely. He’s amazing !)
Q – How do we know which ‘the’ or ‘if’ is the correct one?
A – (Please read the 'How To' page for the complete answer to this question.) Here's the brief answer: When you work the puzzle, it doesn’t matter which ‘the’ or ‘if’ you locate in the puzzle grid – as long as you don’t write the same coordinates down for more than one. In other words, the coordinates are interchangeable, but if for example the word ‘the’ appears, by itself, three times in a puzzle, there must be three separate coordinate answers, one for each of them, but you can place them in any order on your answer sheet. The only person checking your answers will be YOU!
Q – What other subjects will be made into puzzles in the future? Can we have input into that?
A – We currently have dozens of puzzles under construction – presently about 100 of them (see tab In The Works). Best way to judge their content is by the packet name or category they are in, but even then we often interject humor into the serious topics, too, and sometimes we even switch the category while completing the puzzle, so it would be difficult to nail down. And, yes, you can email us with suggestions, or even interesting short stories (preferably true, based on your own experiences) and we may decide to put them into a puzzle and credit you with the idea). Please send your puzzle ideas, suggestions or narratives to us at: TalkingPuzzles@gmail.com
Q - How hard is it to create a Talking Puzzle?
A - For us, it takes our whole company - 4 of us - to create a puzzle from start to finish. Our CEO, who is God, is the inspiration and the founder; Jeri is the Writer and Editor-in-Chief, Debbie is the Typist and proofreader, and Steve is the Web Master and IT Director. Debbie is the only one getting paid. It takes us a total of about 4 - 5 hours of combined time to create one puzzle. We should charge a lot more, based on that, but God wants us to make our prices as low as possible, so we are just trying to cover the one salary and the web expenses, and don't expect to actually make a profit on this enterprise. We all love what we're doing, and we've never worked so closely with God before, so it's lots of fun!
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