Ahhh, the bitter sting of rejection:
Dear John,
A quick note to say thanks but regrets on the crossword you sent me in March–IGUANA/ENFOLDS.
The grid contains quite a few obscurities and made-up entries, like CLEAVE AT, RSH, CONNEM, UES, AS CAKE, HILAND, OKED TO, BE AS COY, IMPARO, SMART MOB, TO SEE THE, AILETH, NAI, BAC, CELEXA, etc., which would not be allowed.
Very sorry!
For more about crossword construction, please see www.cruciverb.com, which is the website and forum for crossword constructors. Click the links to “Basic Rules” and “Specification Sheets” on the left side of the homepage.
Not to worry Will, I’ll keep trying! I didn’t think it was too bad for my first try. And it’s actually really nice to know that the editor of the New York Times crossword sends hand-written rejection emails.