The French had offered aid during the war
Answer: Yes, it just needs more body!
Explanation: I like the plot line, if you add more excitement to the story via adventures then I’d say you have a nice book going!
I'd choose this dialogue to revise your sentence:
<span>“Did you hear?” I asked them. “My painting got selected! Exciting, right?” I smiled. “Especially given that I felt so incompetent at the beginning and that the competition was ruthless!”
</span>
It feels like the option that best uses the dialogue to improve this sentence, because the other options are either too informal or just the same sentence as the original one.
