I'm here (finally!) judging the entries for the Travel the Globe contest!
Layout and Summary
The only complaint I have with the layout is that the background is a solid grey. I don't know if it could do with having a different content colour or not, but it just looks a little plain. Then again, I think that Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful places on the entire planet (I would love to live there someday), so I adore the header image! The little quote (poem?) in the summary is lovely as well.
Content
I love that this has a blend of character development and the city itself. The letter format that you've used is wonderful, it gives a fantastic sense of Katya herself and the way she views the world. You get this wonderful snapshot of her personality through the letters she writes and it's really interesting to read her go through what she's going through; being away from the city and away from the only boy she ever loved.
I adore that you continually compare the two cities. I've always been of the opinion that no matter where you live, you're always going to miss home and automatically compare everything about your new home to your old home. I think that Katya doing that by stating how LA is nothing like Dubrovnik and then pointing out all of the things that she liked better about Dubrovnik is a really nice touch. It, to me at least, gives the entire thing this sense of potent realism -- I can absolutely imagine doing this myself if I were to move away, regardless of where it was. Hell, when I'm away on holiday for a week I miss my hometown, so I can completely empathise with the way Katya is feeling.
The last paragraph in this is just stunning as well. I love the idea of not knowing whether the city is the thing that she misses, or the memories that the city encompasses. It's a really powerful idea that makes me wonder whether it is just the people that make you miss a place or not. Amazing way to end it.
Overall
I have absolutely no constructive criticism to offer, this was perfect! You've done an amazing job of weaving together the character development and the description of the city in a way that just works. The letter format works -- I noticed you had said that you were unsure on how to think about the whole piece in your author's note. I think you should be incredibly proud of this, it's a wonderful piece of work! Awesome job!
Layout and Summary
The only complaint I have with the layout is that the background is a solid grey. I don't know if it could do with having a different content colour or not, but it just looks a little plain. Then again, I think that Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful places on the entire planet (I would love to live there someday), so I adore the header image! The little quote (poem?) in the summary is lovely as well.
Content
I love that this has a blend of character development and the city itself. The letter format that you've used is wonderful, it gives a fantastic sense of Katya herself and the way she views the world. You get this wonderful snapshot of her personality through the letters she writes and it's really interesting to read her go through what she's going through; being away from the city and away from the only boy she ever loved.
I adore that you continually compare the two cities. I've always been of the opinion that no matter where you live, you're always going to miss home and automatically compare everything about your new home to your old home. I think that Katya doing that by stating how LA is nothing like Dubrovnik and then pointing out all of the things that she liked better about Dubrovnik is a really nice touch. It, to me at least, gives the entire thing this sense of potent realism -- I can absolutely imagine doing this myself if I were to move away, regardless of where it was. Hell, when I'm away on holiday for a week I miss my hometown, so I can completely empathise with the way Katya is feeling.
The last paragraph in this is just stunning as well. I love the idea of not knowing whether the city is the thing that she misses, or the memories that the city encompasses. It's a really powerful idea that makes me wonder whether it is just the people that make you miss a place or not. Amazing way to end it.
Overall
I have absolutely no constructive criticism to offer, this was perfect! You've done an amazing job of weaving together the character development and the description of the city in a way that just works. The letter format works -- I noticed you had said that you were unsure on how to think about the whole piece in your author's note. I think you should be incredibly proud of this, it's a wonderful piece of work! Awesome job!