Crossword -- Updated

I have written a crossword. I've done crosswords on and off for a long time, but the last couple of years, I really got the bug, to the point where I do two or three a day, now. So it was inevitable that I would try my hand at writing one.

It's harder than it looks (and it looks hard.) The hard thing is that everything interlocks, so there are no minor changes. I had it complete yesterday, and I looked at a couple of words in the northeast corner and said, "I can do better." By the time I was done changing those two words, I had changed 31 of the 72 words in the puzzle, stretching all the way down to the middle of the bottom row. There are still a couple of words that I think are weak, but I don't dare tinker with them.

So, I think it is done. There's nothing for me to do but submit it somewhere, and see if they like it. I have hopes for it, but not great expectations. When I look at it, I see a lot of flaws that keep it from being an elegant crossword. But I think it has a nice theme, and there are a couple of really nice words and phrases in it. I don't think I've ever seen "XENOPHOBE" in a crossword.

UPDATE: Having written yesterday that it was done, I promptly sat down and tinkered with it for another hour, trying to fix a couple of weak words in the southwest corner. I got exactly nowhere. I'm going to print the thing off and send it in, so I can stop obsessing over it.