I am sitting in an overpacked bus, pressed against the window and desperately waiting to arrive at my destination. Am I aimlessly scrolling through social media or clenching my fists (positively!) while playing New York Times Connections? Well, my max streak of 84 and a 97% win rate would say the latter. So I felt compelled to take on the challenge of creating my own Connections puzzle! For my Connections puzzle, the four categories and groupings are: 1. Board Games: Clue, Life, Camp, Scout 2. A Chef's Kitchen Tools: Pot, Knife, Tongs, Torch 3. Pause: Stop, Break, Rest, Delay 4. Things You Need to Pitch a Tent: Pole, Stake, Mallet, Footprint Let's dive into my categories. I'll take the lead! Board Games: Clue, Life, Camp, Scout Clue and Life are very popular board games. But Camp and Scout are lesser-known board games, which makes the puzzle a bit more difficult. They both sound like camping-related words, so players might think they are associated with things like Pole, Stake, and Torch. So there is a lot of ambiguity in this category that makes the puzzle more fun. A Chef's Kitchen Tools: Pot, Knife, Tongs, Torch These words are all common kitchen tools. But many of them are also things someone might use while camping. So players might mistakenly group them with Camp, Rope, and other camping-related words. Torch especially has the potential to throw off players since it is a tool that is usually for outdoor use. But in a chef's case, it can be used for cooking! Pause: Stop, Break, Rest, Delay This grouping has the clearest concept. But Break and Rest might persuade players to pair them with words that remind them of relaxation or vacation, like Camp. Something similar might happen with Life, leading players to think of "taking a break" in a more broad sense. So there is still potential for these words to confuse players. There are levels to my puzzle! Things You Need to Pitch a Tent: Pole, Stake, Mallet, Footprint Last but definitely not least, this grouping consists of tools for pitching a tent. While this grouping may be obvious to experienced campers (like myself), many players are unfamiliar with camping terms. They most likely will not know that a Footprint is used to cover the ground under a tent. Also, Mallet could be mistaken for a kitchen tool and grouped with Pot and Knife instead. Some players might even mistakenly group Footprint and Clue as part of a mystery or detective category. But they would likely struggle to find other connected words and rethink the category. All of these words come together to create a great Connections puzzle that seems simple at first glance but with the right amount of twists and nuances to make it a fascinating 4x4!