Might Sir Terry Pratchett have been inspired by The Herald’s Myops?

AS one who regularly pits his wits against Myops (usually with no more than mixed success) I read today’s interview with his alter ego John Mckie with great interest (“He’s all clued up: meet the fiendish mind behind The Wee Stinker”, The Herald, March 22).

I found myself wondering whether Myops might have been the inspiration for one aspect of the famous Discworld novels of the late Sir Terry Pratchett. In those novels, the Patrician (the astute and devious absolute ruler of Ankh-morpork) has only one adversary who regularly gets the better of him – namely, the mild-mannered crossword compiler in the Ankhmorpork Times.

Archie Thom,

38 Ashgrove Street, Ayr. WITH The Wee Stinker moving to Saturdays, Monday mornings will never be the same.

My intention is to cut out and keep my copies until Mondays, but this will lead to a reduction in your circulation, for the following reason:

It is said that an optimist is one who does the crossword in ink, a pessimist being one who does it in pencil. As an optimist, my solution to making a mistake is to buy another Herald.

I shall now be forced into becoming a pessimist, as the chances of buying another Saturday edition on Monday must surely be zero.

David Miller,

80 Prestonfield,

Milngavie.