| BREAKINGNEWS | Developing story, and what this puzzle's circles illustrate |
| HUMBLEBEGINNINGS | Part of a rags-to-riches story, and what the answers to the starred clues literally have |
| SECRETSAUCE | Subtle element in a success story ... and what's revealed by each set of circles |
| KEPTUPON | Followed, as a developing story |
| BUILDINGPLOT | Developing story when writing pad's sat here (8,4) |
| TIMEFRAMES | Durations ... and what this puzzle's circles literally represent |
| APPLECORES | Pie-making scraps ... and what this puzzle's circles represent? |
| TOWNSQUARES | Urban centers, and what this puzzle's circles represent |
| SIDEORDERS | Fries, slaw, etc. ... and what this puzzle's circles represent |
| EXTREMEMEASURES | Radical solutions ... and what this puzzle's circles literally represent |
| PUTONTHEDOG | Act affectedly, and what this puzzle's theme entries do? |
| EFFORTLESS | Easy, and what this puzzle's theme answers literally are |
| TAXONESPATIENCE | Require forbearance -- and what this puzzle's theme might do |
| BREAKALEG | Encouragement to an actor, and what this puzzle's starred answers do |
| SPLITHAIRS | Nitpick, and what this puzzle's circled letters represent |
| RAINCOATS | Wet-weather gear, and what this puzzle's circled letters literally are? |
| CATCHAFISH | Have success angling, and what this puzzle's theme answers do |
| AFRAMES | Houses with sharply angled roofs, and what this puzzle's four longest answers literally have in comm |
| CIRCLEBACK | Return to a subject in conversation, and what this puzzle's author did to make the examples stand out |
| BLOWININTHEWIND | Bob Dylan classic, and what this puzzle's starred clues' answers' endings could be |
