My primary strategy for solving my beloved Matt Gaffney’s Weekly Crossword Contest is asking the question, “What’s weird?”
What’s unexpected, different, or unusual? What stands out from the background? Because very often, that’s part of the secondary puzzle I have to solve.
I approach composing and arranging in much the same way: after I’ve completed a draft, I slow down and ask myself, “What’s weird about this?” What doesn’t feel quite right, or just isn’t in keeping with the rest of the piece around it?
Adjusting those sections is key, to me, to creating a cohesive whole.
Of course, there may be times when I want a moment to feel weird, just as sometimes there’s something weird in a crossword unrelated to its meta-puzzle. Those moments are of value, too. Precisely for their intentionality.
As you write, ask yourself “What’s weird?” And then ask, “Do I want that?”