Invite the reader to participate by deciphering. Chaos can attract and engage.
I got a fancy reputation. During high school, every puzzle that was known to man must have come to me. Every damn, crazy conundrum that people had invented, I knew.
A good puzzle, it's a fair thing. Nobody is lying. It's very clear, and the problem depends just on you.
And a puzzle is for the piecing together, especially for the young, who still believe it can be done.
Puzzles are like songs - A good puzzle can give you all the pleasure of being duped that a mystery story can. It has surface innocence, surprise, the revelation of a concealed meaning, and the catharsis of solution.
Devising a mechanism is a lot like solving a puzzle - and gives you the same kind of kick.
It requires genius to make a good pun - some men of bright parts can't reach it.
