For the 2019 Testimonial page, we decided to add comments about the contest as well as many of the comments about the judges.
Here are some of the thoughts of the I&I writers.
[The contest] provided the insights I needed to make my writing better. It was better than going to a college course on writing because the judges are active in the real publication business, which a lot of professors aren't. I took their comments to heart and will truly use them to improve.
I was surprised to find a contest such as this. It is unique and extremely helpful. Every author should submit their work to contests such as this before they delve into getting their book published.
--Fran
Extremely thorough. She explained exactly why she took off points, and took the time to break down different areas of the writing so that I knew what was working, and what wasn't.
--Katherine
The judges saw issues with my story that even my editor did not see. The result was a greatly improved manuscript.
--Al
The feedback from the four judges who read my piece was just invaluable. I really appreciate how thoroughly they read my piece and the thought they gave to it. This was a very worthwhile endeavor.
--Jamie
This has been an amazing experience, and after two decades of writing, I finally got some professional and unbiased feedback on my writing. It was just what I needed. I couldn't believe how thorough the scoresheets and comments were, it's now helping me tremendously with this novel and with my technique in general. It was so worth it, I can't wait to submit again!
--Marie
The judges reviewing my work represent a broad spectrum of readers which helps me widen my target audience with rewrites. Their findings often show my weak and strong areas. And when 2 or more point out the same specific area needing work, I fix that problem first.
--Clare
I will definitely enter the same submission again that I did last year. The judges were thorough and fair in their evaluations as well as encouraging. They took care to completely cover every aspect of my story and I have implemented their suggestions to make it better. I knew my writing needed something more, but I couldn't figure out what it was. The judges were consistent in their critique of what it lacked and I needed their insights before I could ever approach a publisher. They are the real deal! Thank you, I&I
--Fran
Although [Judge] found more than several problems with my book, she motivated me to keep working. She said she could envision my finished book doing well in bookstores and libraries. WOW! I didn't win a thing in the contest, but nothing could've been better than those kind words!
--Lauren
The judges' feedback was incredible (amount, quality, professionalism) for the reasonable cost of the entry fee. I will definitely be entering my next novel in this contest.
--Laura
[Judge] understood the characters and their motivations well. Suggestions for improvement on character/plot were bang on and insightful.
--Al
First, it forced me really work on these first 10 000 words. Second, the feedback is going to help me tremendously for this novel, but also for many more I hope to write after this one. We don't get creative writing classes in France, so this is just amazing for me: finally getting honest feedback about my manuscript. Plus the price was a bargain! And eventually, just for the excitement of realizing that, yes, maybe this story could be something. I mean, it was a real ego boost!
--Marie
I got the most out of [Judge's] comments. She was very thorough and covered every aspect of my book. She had more to say than the other judges and I am thankful for her insights and care to address each problem without neglecting the overall good points. Her comments show the potential of more depth my story could have and she pushed me to reach toward it. She inspired me to fix and resubmit my story again this year. I particularly liked her comment that it could be something that will make people question what it means to be human and how it relates to philosophical thinking. I appreciated her humbleness to admit it made her reevaluate free will. She provided the help I was looking for to make my writing better. Thank you!
--Fran
This was one of my lower scores and yet I feel like I learned the most from this critique. She pointed out things I didn't notice before and I agreed with them. I really liked her responses.
--Samantha
Thank you so much, I couldn't believe someone could love my story that much! You made my day, my month even! You gave me that boost I needed to keep going, to believe in this piece and in myself. I can only hope one day I'll get to hear your opinion on the finished manuscript, or even - let's dream - the published edition.
--Marie
Aside from the helpful suggestions that [Judge] made, it did me a world of good for him to comment that he could see I'd put a lot of hard work "and good work" into introducing faith into my novel. That isn't something I'd expected to hear, and hadn't known I needed to hear--until then. That was very kind and thoughtful of him.
--Lauren
[Judge's] comments were so thorough. Her attention to the story and feedback were so appreciated. She really honed in on where I need to improve and asked lots of questions that I feel get answered further along in the book, so proves I'm on the right track, though maybe I need to think about bringing these 'answers' earlier into the story.
--Stephanie
To tell the truth, when my critiques were a month late--and then two months late--I feared I'd been scammed. But when I had those scoresheets in my hand, I knew it had been well worth the wait!
--Lauren
[Judge] was great. So encouraging with specific question that guided me to what required improvement. Gave great advice, clear and helpful comments, which I took on board.
--Jenn
Receiving feedback from four different judges was so beneficial. They all had different angles on how to improve my work and what they liked and what didn't resonate with them. The feedback was so detailed and helpful. Thank you to all my judges and for this contest! I've found it so beneficial to help move my story forward and get it into a shape where I could start submitting it to agents in the future.
--Stephanie
[Judge] gave feedback from the perspective of the average reader and I really needed to hear that. She made me rethink my slant on this writing. Since my previous works were all factual details, this was a big leap for me into my first novel and she could point out how narrative was slaughtering the story. I laughed at her comment that she thought the writer was a patronizing male. I'm female. She had the strictest comments of all the judges, but I appreciated it. She made me want to redo the story and incorporate her suggestions. Thank you!
--Fran
[Judge's] comments were so positive and encouraging as well as pinpointing the things she enjoyed about my submission (which are SO helpful for a writer to hear instead of just the parts that they found unclear/need to be improved upon).
--Stephanie
[Judge] understood the characters and plot perfectly. Feedback was encouraging, yet clearly outlined the areas that need work.
--Al
[Judge] was concise and very helpful. I was looking for a lot of criticism because I knew the story lacked something but I didn't know what. She pinpointed exactly what it needed and her opinion was consistent with the other judges. Thank you very much!
--Fran
[Judge] made my day when she referred to my protagonist's "untethered tongue" and to the "endearing wittiness" of the tone. She saw as many or more flaws with my book as the other judges, but it's comments like the above that make me want to keep on plowing.
--Lauren
[Contest] is extremely helpful with the editing process. Most of my editing changes came from the feedback I received from the judges.
This was my first time writing a novel and the feedback I received helped me edit my work in a way I never would have had I not entered. I've changed my book for the better and I'm very excited with how far it's come since sending it in.
--Samantha
Once again, thought provoking feedback from my judge, asking great questions that got me thinking about my story and characters more deeply.
--Stephanie
[Judge] understood what I was trying to accomplish with my story, and the feedback was helpful. I was a little confused at times regarding some of the scores: the feedback was glowing regarding things like plot, characterization, imagery, yet the scores reflected a mediocre work.
--Al
The score sheets were extremely helpful to me. In an instance or two, a couple of the judges contradicted each other--and that in itself was enlightening! But it was the frequent written comments by the judges that were invaluable! Those comments encouraged me to keep plugging away.
--Lauren
[Judge] brought up several issues that need to be addressed if this story is to succeed. Her comments were consistent with the opinions of the other judges, so it is clear exactly what I need to do to improve it. She gave clear examples of places that need to change. It encouraged me that she found the book concept interesting. Whew! I was worried about that.
I got a kick out of her comment that I need to consult Christians to get their opinions. My husband is a minister. Her questions about Satan inspired me to implement more detail about him. I was pleased with her comment about her personal theology problem in scoring the piece. My purpose is to shake personal theologies, so good! Thank you for your efforts to score this, [Judge].
BTW, there is a specific reason why the footnotes were included and because of her comments, I added an explanation in the Introduction.
--Fran