Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Critique Winners and Other Tidbits

Thank you for your comments on last week's post! Like a nerd, I put together a quick tally of everyone's favorite shots, so here's how those broke down:

Picture Votes
#1 6
#2 22
#3 32
#4 8
#5 1

Picture #3 was the clear favorite, but the more I looked at it, the more I decided I didn't really like my hair. It swoops over my shoulder on one side and kind of hangs in irregular pieces on the other, so I think I'm going to go with #2. I love the blurred-out brick wall, and with a little cropping, I'm sure I can produce the same kind of close-up look that #3 has going for it. (Photographer Julie informed me the images would be sharp enough to crop at will!)

And now for the winners of the query or first-page critique:

Amy Smith
Ninja Girl
kathrynjankowski
A.J. Cattapan
Lorena

If you guys have a query or first page you'd like a little more feedback on, feel free to send it to me at kvandolzer(at)gmail(dot)com!

Last but not least, I just scheduled an interactive installment of "Interview with an Agent" with Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown, Ltd., so definitely come back next Wednesday, July 17, and ask her your questions!

12 comments:

Natalie Aguirre said...

I really liked picture #2. And good that you picked the one that you liked best.

Congrats to the winners!

Kimberly said...

No matter which one you would have chosen, you look fabulous in all of them. :)

Congrats to the winners of the critique!


Stephanie Garber said...

I'm glad you picked you # 2. That was my favorite, although I totally agree with Kimberly, you looked fabulous in all the pictures!

Krista Van Dolzer said...

Yeah, Natalie, I just decided if I'm going to cringe every time I imagine someone looking at my picture, I should probably pick a different one:)

Thanks, Kimberly! You're so sweet.

It ended up being my favorite, too, Stephanie;)

Rebecca Gomez said...

Good choice, Krista. #2 is a great shot and will be even better if you crop it closer!

Lorena said...

Thanks Krista! I'll send you my first page in a little bit. :D

kathrynjankowski said...

Always trust your gut. Happy to be a winner!;-)

Krista Van Dolzer said...

Thanks, Rebecca! I created a square shot for avatars as well as a tighter rectangular shot for more official things. So exciting!

Great, Lorena! I'll go look for it!

Looking forward to reading your material, kathrynjankowski!

A.J. Cattapan said...

Great choice of pictures!

You're very kind to offer query critiques. Unfortunately, I have nothing to be critiqued at the moment since I've decided all of my past manuscripts are not worth saving. I'll be starting on something new . . . as soon as I get a decent idea!

Krista Van Dolzer said...

A.J., it's exciting and scary to start something new, isn't it? Well, the offer's an open one, so if you ever need a fresh set of eyes on your query or first page, you know where to find me!

Ninja Girl said...

I think your pic looks awesome!! And I had no idea I could win something :) Now, I just have to figure out what to send (query or critique) or if I'm even ready to send yet. Just finished my 4th novel today actually ahhhhhh!! It's been a long hard road since I'm on sub right now with novel 3--which I'm still so scared for/invested in. But finally got through. Thanks for the contest, and great choice on the pic!
Ninja Girl
P.S. Also, I read your other post on doubt/when enough isn't good enough etc. and I wanted to give you an inspirational quote that always help me when I feel this way. It's from Christopher Robin to Pooh :)

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."--A.A. Milne

Hope this helped you at least a little!

Krista Van Dolzer said...

Ninja Girl, thank you for the quote from A.A. Milne. I certainly hope it's true. And if you're not ready to send something right away, no worries. As I mentioned to A.J., it's an open offer, so feel free to take your time!