Riddle template in Markdown: one riddle and its answer

With this riddle template, you write an invented riddle, set down the answer in plain text, and explain the clues in a short paragraph. You keep the wording and the answer together in a .md file. You write about an ordinary object, then name the features behind the riddle lines.

You can begin with the bracketed template or read Jane Doe's dustpan example. You put the answer directly beneath Answer, between the riddle and the explanation. You write the clue paragraph as a literal account of the object's parts and use.

Purpose of the riddle page

In this post's template, you keep one invented riddle per file. You follow the riddle with an answer paragraph and a short explanation. You put the explanation beneath Clues, with the object named above that paragraph under Answer.

You write a page about the same object throughout. In the riddle, you describe features without naming the object. Under Answer, you name that object plainly. Under Clues, you connect the wording to the features you described, using ordinary words for those features.

You can read an introduction to .md text for plain text and Markdown marks.

You may keep a riddle file beside text from AI agents and .md pages you write yourself. Within the riddle page, you keep the object description, answer, and explanation together. You write the answer openly in the paragraph after the riddle, with no separate page for that answer.

Riddle page anatomy

You can copy this post's Markdown riddle template, replacing bracketed text with your wording. You write a short title above a sentence describing the page. You then write beneath Riddle, Answer, and Clues in that order.

# [Riddle title]

[A sentence describing this riddle page.]

## Riddle

[A short description of the object through its features.]

## Answer

[A sentence naming the object.]

## Clues

[A short paragraph matching riddle wording with object features.]

You write the parts of this template as follows.

• Title and description. You put a short name after # and describe the page beneath that title. You write a sentence for the description before the riddle heading.
• Riddle. You write about the object's features beneath this heading. You replace the bracketed description with your riddle wording, as Jane Doe does with the dustpan's shape and use.
• Answer. You state the object's name in an ordinary sentence. You put that sentence between the riddle wording and the clue explanation.
• Clues. You match phrases in the riddle with features of the object. You keep those matches together in a short paragraph beneath the answer.

You put three section headings marked with ## beneath the title marked with #; the title stays apart from those three. You write one placeholder paragraph line under Riddle, one under Answer, and one under Clues. You also write a description line before those sections.

You can compare paragraph separation with a single line break in paragraphs and blank lines. You leave blank lines between the paragraphs and headings in this template. You can read bold and italic for marks to emphasize a word.

The dustpan example

Jane Doe wrote this riddle for this sample; the riddle and its wording are invented. Jane Doe writes about a dustpan through its lip, hollow, handle, and use beside a broom.

# Dustpan riddle

A riddle about a household object, followed by its answer and clues.

## Riddle

I slope from a broad lip to a shallow hollow.
I have a short handle behind that hollow.
I hold the sweepings beside the broom.

## Answer

The object is a dustpan.

## Clues

The first line names the sloped lip and hollow. The second line names the handle. The third line names the hollow's use beside a broom.

Jane Doe writes three short riddle lines beneath Riddle. Under Answer, Jane Doe names the dustpan in a sentence. Under Clues, Jane Doe writes one sentence for each riddle line, naming the feature or use in that line.

Jane Doe pairs the lip with the hollow in the opening riddle line. In the next line, Jane Doe describes the handle behind the hollow. In the last riddle line, Jane Doe describes holding sweepings beside a broom. Jane Doe keeps the explanation close to those physical details.

Brevity in clue explanations

For short matches between riddle wording and dustpan features in this sample, you can write with these aims.

• Shape in plain words. You name the lip and hollow together, following Jane Doe's opening clue sentence. You keep that sentence about the shape described in the opening riddle line.
• A part by name. You name the handle directly in the next clue sentence. You keep that match short, without adding a further description of the handle.
• Use beside the object. You describe the hollow's use beside a broom in the last clue sentence. You keep that sentence tied to the sweepings in the riddle wording.

Jane Doe keeps the sample to a brief description, short riddle lines, an answer sentence, and a clue paragraph. You write the explanation beneath the answer in the same page, using the parts and use already described in the riddle.

Where Sashmark fits

Still in development, Sashmark is planned for the desktop as a Markdown editor plus reader, for people keeping .md text from AI agents. The app is not out yet. A folder holding riddle files alongside other .md material is a planned fit for Sashmark.

See the planned features, the help pages and the roadmap for where each part stands.

sashmark.com.