Update on ILLUMINATION’S Curated Collections
40 Boosted Stories on ILLUMINATION-Curated in January
Presenting well-crafted and impactful stories for avid readers, inspiring new writers with samples, introducing our curation services, and new writers joining us recently
Happy February, dear readers and writers! As promised in my curated collections, I finally had a chance to compile boosted stories in January 2024 and also added some examples from previous months. I was very happy and grateful as one of my stories, close to my heart, was also boosted. It was an absolute pleasure when curators accepted my nominations supported by the consulting editors of ILLUMINATION.
Most of the boosted stories are hosted on ILLUMINATION-Curated, a distinctive publication, established by Dr Mehmet Yildiz, hosting and spotlighting high-quality, memorable, relatable, and insightful stories from over 1000 talented writers covering 100+ topics since 2020. This publication is designed to host the stories of experienced and accomplished writers. Illumination supports 26,000 writers at all levels.
This curated collection aims to present readers with well-crafted, impactful, insightful, and memorable stories and inspire our writers by providing them with sample-boosted stories meeting or exceeding the distribution criteria. We also introduce our curation and featuring service for non-boosted stories. You can meet the new writers whose profiles are linked at the end of this post.
Medium made significant changes in 2023. To this end, our chief editor provided guidance showing our publishing strategy aligning with Medium’s direction for 2024. Strategic Changes on Medium in 2023: How I Adapted to the New Strategy.
As of October 2023, ILLUMINATION-Curated has started nominating stories for boosting. You can learn details from an interview with Dr Mehmet Yildiz conducted by ILLUMINATION editors. How ILLUMINATION Publications Support the BOOST Program. As of December, I also serve as a boost nominator for ILLUMINATION publications, including ILLUMINATION Gaming.
I added many new writers to our publications last month. They wish to understand the criteria to write for ILLUMINATION-Curated. Unlike our other publications, this one only serves experienced writers as its loyal readers desire. For those interested, we have detailed submission guidelines.
After reviewing the guidelines, if you believe our service resonates with you, please contact Dr. Yildiz on ILLUMINATION’s Slack workspace. He will give you writer access. He also mentors many writers to increase their chances of boosting on Medium.
I began featuring writers by analyzing their stories and educating our writers about common patterns that boosted those stories. Here are the first two in his series:
I look forward to your stories in all our publications, and we will choose well-crafted, memorable, and impactful stories through our nominators. In addition, Medium curators also organically boosted hundreds of stories from ILLUMINATION, which we plan to share in another collection.
While compiling this wonderful collection, a story of The Sturg came to my mind. The title of the story was I’m About To Dispel Some Problematic Notions About Illumination. I was told that a great writer Tom Kuegler called Illumination as an “abomination” as he believed we publish everything. As an editor and curator of Illumination publications, I can assure you that as of August 2023, we publish only high-quality, impactful, and meaningful content.
I kindly invite Tom and other great writers to join our journey so we can amplify their content in our diverse and inclusive community. With this opportunity, I invite all writers to change their perception of our publications. We don’t publish “anything and everything.”
Supporting Friends of Medium Subscribers
One of our goals to create curated collections is to support Friends of Medium, who follow our publications. Dr Mehmet Yildiz wrote about the value of this program and shared his vision, strategy, and tactics to support these members they contribute to the income of our writers four times more than other members. You may review his stories to gain insights.
Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
Celebrating My Reading Anniversary with My Upgraded Subscription to New Medium Friendship
To support our writers,I also upgraded my account to Friends of Medium and wrote a story about it. I look forward to more and readers to upgrade to FoM subscription to create more vitality in this beautiful platform.
We introduce writers who have recently joined us at the end of this post.
For new writers, any story submitted to ILLUMINATION-Curated must align with Medium’s distribution and boosting guidelines like any other publications in our management. Furthermore, we emphasize that the content should resonate with the discerning readership of this publication.
We value diversity and variety, which means there are no topic restrictions as long as the stories adhere to Medium’s policies and our values.
Currently, we cover over 100 topics, emphasizing substance and meaningful content for our readers. We expect to cater to more topics as our writers and readers propose.
We do not censor content as long as stories comply with Medium’s guidelines.
Please review our submission guidelines and comprehensive checklist before sending your high-impact and well-articulated stories to ILLUMINATION-Curated.
New Writers: Enhance the Chance of Boosting By Using This Checklist
Since Medium now requires paid membership for the Partner Program, we will also include stories of members for this publication to maintain our high standards and commitment to our loyal readers. However, our other publications still support non-members.
Except for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION, our publications don’t accept AI-generated content. You may learn about our AI writing policy.
In addition to Medium’s distribution guidelines, ILLUMINATION-Curated has established a specific set of criteria to enhance the quality of publications.
We aim for high quality but don’t insist on perfection. We are practical and believe every writer can improve with feedback from readers, editors, and peers. Our goal is to provide our subscribers with a pleasant and satisfying reading experience.
How do we promote non-boosted stories?
As mentioned, only around 1% of stories are boosted by Medium, but we still publish thousands of excellent stories delighting our loyal readers. Besides sharing on social media, our editors also create curated collections, presenting them to our readers. Here are various types of curation services by our volunteer editors and curators.
I compiled 57 collections. Here is a sample of my latest one, posted yesterday.
Here’s the latest by our senior editor/curator Mike Broadly, DHSc
Curated stories by our editor/curator Elin Melaas
Curation Service by ILLUMINATION editors
Curated stories for ILLUMINATION Reading Club by ILLUMINATION-Curators
Curated technology stories by the tech profile of Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech)
Dr Mehmet Yildiz also encouraged all Friends of Medium to start sharing friend links on our tailored social media platform. We interviewed him, asked how to achieve this goal, and provided a script in a bulletin.
Today, we share recently boosted stories through our nominations to give readers valuable stories to read and writers examples to emulate to increase their chances of boosting on Medium.
Dear writers and readers, please be careful with growing scams and spam accounts on Medium. Today ILLUMINATION editors posted an important bulletin to inform you.
Please enjoy our boosted stories from ILLUMINATION-Curated.
Boosted Stories in January 2024
What Car Shows Mean to Me and How They Enriched My Life Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
Vitamin B12 Deficiency Rises, Concerning Me As It Was My Big Problem Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Timing Will Never Be Perfect; Do What You’re Meant to Do Now Vincent Van Patten
Why Do We Love to Believe Wacky and Weird Stuff? James Alexander, MATheol, MA, PhD
This Teacher’s Act Made Me Look For Him After 43 Years. Am I Too Late? Wendy King
The Good Clime Retrieves The Sunken Heart — One Mild Allusion To Settle The Harmed Mind — Goodness… The Doctor - Joanie Adams
Temple Trails Abroad: My Journey Through Balinese Hinduism Somil Gupta
Surprising Life Lessons I Learned from Army Reserve Officer Training Danielle Spinks Earl
Come Take a Peek Into the Minds, Lives, and Fears … of Queers Brian Feutz
Things I Miss About the U.S. As an American Living in Paris Jolie Porter
How To Safely Transform Dietary Protein Into Healthy Longevity? Dr. Lutz Kraushaar
The Day the Moon Wobbled Over Planet Earth Adelia Ritchie, PhD
Common Medical Myths That Many People Continue to Believe Despite Proof to the Contrary David Mokotoff, MD
Is It Possible to Completely Heal from Covert Narcissistic Abuse? Melissa Kalt, MD
Returning to Tibet to Find Happiness Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD
What We Learned When My Fiancée Was Hospitalised for Life-Threatening Anaemia Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Navigating the Abyss: When a Navy Helicopter Plunged into the Ocean Russell Carr MD
Insider Insights: 10 Guidelines for Excelling as a Patient From an ER Doctor Joan Naidorf MD
Humor Succeeds When It’s Relevant To Your Target Audience Mark Armstrong
What Us Introverts Can Learn From Extroverts (and Vice-a-Versa) Sean Kernan
Defining Spiritual Faith in a Life of Distraction Pernoste & Dahl
When Helping Is Hurting: AI is Hurting Our Students Denise P King
LSD’s Renaissance in Mental Health Treatment Matthew Bamberg
A Personal Account of Live Aid — the Day Musicians United to Fight World Hunger Gill McCulloch
Evolution and aging: do the dinosaurs have anything to do with human senescence? Eliot Bush
The Year Arrives with a Cancer Diagnosis in the Family Bebe Nicholson
Unravelling Rafflesia- A Most Unusual Parasitic Plant Rich Sobel
Boosted Stories in December 2023
Understanding the Nuances of 4 Types of Obesity Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Gaming, Fun, and Humor: The Lifelines That Rescued Me From Social Media’s Grip on My Life Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
Which Type of Intermittent Fasting is Best for Weight Loss and Health? Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Can Companion Robots Solve the Loneliness Epidemic Among Elders? Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
Echoes of Immortality — A Hero’s Final Anthem Donn K. Harris
How I Learned to Meditate Again After a 40-Year Lapse, and What I Get From It Martin D. Hirsch
Does Your Academic Performance Determine the Rest of Your Life? Clarissa Ai Ling Lee, PhD
Lessons From the Frontline: Managing an International, Three-Year IT Integration Project Jozsef Kovacs
Insights from a Scientist with a Poet’s Soul Pernoste & Dahl
2004 Boxing Day Tsunami: Our Dad’s Heart Attack May Have Saved His Youngest Daughter Gill McCulloch
Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Thinking Back on an Unsustainable Diet in a 12-Step Program and a Dramatic Weight Loss The Sturg
Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters Dr Mehmet Yildiz
The Real Reason Medicine and Science Cannot Give You Exact Guidelines David Mokotoff, MD
The Artistic Meaning of Images Within Images Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD
Cats and Copyediting: Using Illustration to Market a Book Mark Armstrong
If You Want to Lose Weight, You Must Lose the Heavy Thinking First Elaine Hilides
My Daughter’s Transgender Identity Didn’t Make Sense Tony Leo
6 Poor Coping Mechanisms Which Made My Trauma Worse Leon Macfayden
What’s So Wrong About Secretly Working Two Full-Time Jobs at Once Remotely? Luay Rahil
Our Family Trip to Beautiful Kalam Valley in Pakistan: A Tale of Beauty and Adventure Ammara Hassan
Do Eating and Breathing Noises Drive You Crazy? There May Be a Reason Elaine Hilides
How I Mastered 4 Essential Requirements to Become a Better Leader and Served My Clients Jozsef Kovacs
Describing the Human Predicament: The Sun, the Clouds and Us David Gerken
Gigantic Genomes and Supersized Salamander Cells Surprise Scientists and Put a Wrinkle in… Rich Sobel
Beyond Blind Spots: A Multi-Perspective Journey Toward Greater Understanding George M Pantazis
Who Is in Charge Here?–How Our Minds Control the Body Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi
Can We Lose Fat and Gain Muscle At the Same Time? Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Seeing a Cop In Line At Starbucks Gave Me The Jitters G Correia
Boosted Stories in November 2023
Mr. Speaker, There’s No Such Thing as a “Bible-Believing” Christian Guy Nave
Recent Discoveries and Potential Breakthroughs in Microbiome Health Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
If You Eat a Healthy Diet, Save Your Money Because You Don’t Need Probiotics and Prebiotics David Mokotoff, MD
Future Doctors and Nurses Don’t Want to See Patients Dr. Julian Barkan
5 Surprising Links Between Fitness and Photography Zacc Rowlands
Synaesthesia I: A Life of Colors, The Early Years Donn K. Harris
The Gap in Male/Female Life Expectancy Keeps Growing Dr. Julian Barkan
When The Great Himalayas Went Grey on Us, Literally Somil Gupta
Examining the Impact of Rice Consumption on Type 2 Diabetes Prevalence Antonio Segovia, MD.
Shutting Down the Inner Critic to Liberate Your True Self Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
Why Business Organizations Must Implement the Zero Trust Security Strategy and Execute It… David Pui | Digital Transformation Architect
New Discoveries that Redefine our View of Diet, Weight Gain, Exercise, and Health Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
How to Be Safe in the World of Cybercrime Jussi Luukkonen — your curiosity guide
Why Ban “Divisive” Teachings While Protecting Divisive Confederate Monuments? Guy Nave
Overcoming Post-COVID-19 Long-Lasting Olfactory Issues Antonio Segovia, MD.
How My Grandmother’s Legacy Goes Beyond the Wrinkles Gabriela Trofin-Tatár
Stories Boosted in October 2023
Should Doctors Be Less or More Empathetic? Dr. Julian Barkan
How Cholesterol Levels Impact Your Heart Health Dr. K P Vasudeva Rao
How discovering microbes transformed our understanding of life and health Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Four Ways to Balance Your Content Creation Obsession by Clayton Moulynox
Neuroscience Behind Why I Read 1000 Books With My Son Before He Turned 5 Prashansa Gadgil
Can I Connect with My Transgender Daughter as I Connected with My Son? Tony Leo
How Ōura Got the Fitness Geeks and Insomniacs Around Its Little Finger Jussi Luukkonen — your curiosity guide
How Survivorship Bias Colors Our World: Impact and How to Overcome It Sridhar Pai Tonse — Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups
Lessons from the Grave Sara Fellers on ChannSpirations and Coincidences
Grandma and God Brought Me Home AJ on ChannSpirations and Coincidences
Facing the Judge and Jury of Your Inner Critic jules — Miz Mindful
The Island Odyssey: A Weeklong Adventure in Rhodes Jozsef Kovacs
Organically Boosted Stories of Dr Yildiz
As mentioned below, Medium curators also directly boost stories without nomination. Dr. Yildiz shared some of his stories, so we added them here as samples to guide our writers.
Here’s How I Train My Brain Daily for Mental Clarity and Intellectual Productivity.
Meditation Can Boost the Cortical Thickness in the Brain and Prevent the Thinning of It
Here’s How to Make the Nervous System More Flexible and Functional
A New Clinical Trial Found a Low-Carb Diet Better Than the Dash.
How Writers Can Attract More Readers by Using Design Thinking Principles
Here’s Why I Focus on Nutritional Biochemistry Rather Than Diets
Queer Organisms: Nature’s Lesson for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality
Thank you for reading these wonderful stories.
How to access updated submission guidelines
New writers need to review these guidelines before submitting their stories to relevant publications. ILLUMINATION publications do not accept all types of stories anymore. We want all writers to change this perception.
ILLUMINATION Videos and Podcasts: Submission Guidelines 2023
Publishing and Conduct Guidelines for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION
Introduction to New Writers Joined Us Recently
Welcome aboard. I added you and followed you so that your new stories appear on my reading feed as a Friend of Medium. I look forward to your well-crafted stories and hope you can post some boost-worthy stories to our publications.
Onta Gordon, J Sok, Devsomesh, MD White, Waheeda Ghulami, Melissa Baltazar, Syed Baquer Rizvi, Vianne Brown, john bertken, Epic Dreamweaver, Jay Rosenberg, Matteo DaVerona, Karim Dhanani, Jeremy W G Cox, Will Succeed, Crazy Ant Labs, G. A. Botero, Joseph Ream, Andrew W. Pearson, M.R. Paquet, john bertken, Lukas Unger, Jennifer Brown, Elle Marie, Fred Thunström, Devsomesh. REUBEN SHUMBA, Reece Saxon, Federklecks, Raymond L Burton, Babett Eichler, Janis Gross, Lizzie Michael, Laia Bové | Accessible Yoga & Slow Creative Living, Ahilya B, UNIFY TO CLARIFY, Christine Egan, Jen Quintana, Vince Mao, Muhammad kashif khatri, Kai Collins, Psychotherapist Vibes, Sudipti Ranjan, Harold James, Dr. Jay Chatwani, Health & Lifestyle Advice, Jimmy Hung, Dennis Wu, Tobin Zolkowski, Deirdre (“Writer in the Abyss” ), Guillaume Dubé, Muhammad Ahmad Anwar Sandhu, Ollie Sungkar, AxeMind, Gloria Okoye, ModernBusinessInsights, Xuejiao Cui, Evaluna Primavera, Garland Niblett, Jill Alexandra, Viktor Colov, Jenny Calvert, Danish Kayani, Health Geek, — DeMarie Chronicles, Shreesh Pandey, Abid Choon, — Raihan, orestisJP, Hugo Demenez, GizemG, Nonso Emetoh, Bogdan Sasu, Judith Gridl, Ellie Fogleman, UIUX Maverick, Alice K. Black, William Digaudio, A is Typing…., Kevin Hamill, Curiosity, C. Circe Reid, Msfireballsmom (please follow), Ken Van Camp, Fisk Harrison, Cyb3r Philosoph3r 🌐, Melissa Herzog Writer of Travel, Cooking and Food, Sean Todd M.Ed, Anna Salazar MS, RD, LD, Foteini Ntelopoulou, Danny Ross, Ali Writes, Colin Douglas, GeekySama, Gurmohit Randhawa, Cam Roze, Ally Evergreen, Amanda Garland, Ngozi Anna Akunne, Salman Khan, Doug Utberg, Raihan, Justin Boyette, The Lion the Bunny and the Bear, QuantumJourney, Manj Bahra, AJ Davies, Iris Yarwood, Cyber Life Stylist, Chris Suazo, Dyego Gaspar, Nigel Alexander Item, K.D. Lewis, She Side Hustle, Cyber Life Stylist, Sandra Afonso, Nina Velić, Beth J, Ilika, JasonTheWriter, Abi Adegboye, Cocktailgalaxy, Laiba Sattar, Martina Wiltschko, Juliet Waters, Top Technology Trends in 2024, Bianca Bazin, Edwin Bowles, The Afronomist, Basic MBTI, The Kayro 👑, Frost, William Nuttle, Daksh Parmar, Tripping Up Stairs, Tyler Hughes, Nathan Powell, Kimberly Iacoponi, Learner by Writing, Bruce Madden, Daniel Foster, M.Sc., Tyler Hughes, Corey Richards, Relon Mfunda, Khansa Baloch, Tara Kimes, Romaric Jannel, KEN BANK, Pala Najana, J. Raveling, andrea.iam, Sumir Ramesh, Amirali Banani, Jasmine S., Wesley Scott, Ms. Twenty Something, Romanitaaelita, Buse Ceren Demir, — Barb Chappell, Waqar Ahmad Khan, Ian Worrall, Caroline Arnold, Cameron N. Conner, Phil Williams, Anadi Rajawat, Frankie Pendles, Chase Dalton, Ben Stone, Severen Henderson, Shreepada Rao, Turi Sue, Ethan Warhol, Lover girl, Avijit Nagare, Jay Jones, Syed Zikrae Ali, Jennifer Cains, Edmund Settle, Marios, Erdal Turna, Satori Savant, Samuel Valente, Sandra Mosley, S.K Bach, Simon Shepherd, AnzaMalik, Șener Ali, Purvi Jajoo, Siddharth Saxena, Sifawu Usikalu, Francis Taylor, Art Of Sensuality, Nimisha Tripathi, Jane Anne, Bryce Genson, Daksh Pathak, Gabriella H., Nick Ceschin, Alloysius Davida (Skyfallgirl), William Adams, CT Strange, Victor Zexi He, S ESOOF SIDDIQ, rustian, Thomas Oppong, Mindset & Finance, Anna Lipatova, Abi Vikram, Archie Bee, Jonathon Cooper, Beau Stanley, Sebastian, Luma Alo, Charlie J 🕊️, Stan Byrdy, Shruti Katoch, Peter Tilsen, Briana Derry, MBA, Infostream, Mary Papas, Brandon Landgraf, Noriko Yanyan, Atlas, Chad Harvey, Sheamus Aaren, Agata Szymula, Martin Reaves, Melanie Cole, Lambert, Cortex Chronicles, Jociehall, Edge Ruler, Simon Harbour, Progress Pulse, Heidi Pyper, Shaheryar Chishty, Kanak Agrawal, Sasha Desideri, Sean Chandler, Huajing Shi, Ally Muller, MK, Gregg Zambrovitz, Rudy LB, Lily in Tech, George Tinari, huan huan chen, Cristina N, Rose Aguilar, Antonio Parente Jr, Kai Wenzel, Rory Smith, Tony Bapuji, Eternal Heart Connections, LLC, Aleena, My5min, Carter Anderson Lee, Shirems, Anastasia Lebedenko, Ratna chandrika, Matt Fujimoto, Jameson Clark, Roxana Penciu, Shona Cugat-Davies, Ekene, Douglas Soares de Andrade, The Idealist, Sunny Sun, Andy B. Hahn, Sandeep Singh Balyan, Douglas Kwon, Karen Marie Shelton, Shirems, Mikey’s Memories, Jekaterina Uļjanova, Kit Desjacques, Roger O’Keefe, I write because I love words!, Tamer Aydogdu, Dwight Myvett Jr, Ekant Mate (AWS APN Ambassador), Alexandra Christensen, Romanitaaelita, Sheree Liao, — Aleena Huda, Luca Vettor, Bryan Pereira, Kemal M. Lepschoq, LL.M., Haly Lifestyle, Katie de Roo, Sohaib Mustafa, Livvy Skelton-Price, PoliTech, Rebecca Designs A Life, Martina D., My Smarter Tips, K J Samuel, Taimoor Shahid, OJ, Geneva Cecily, Nicole B., Silver X. Bishop, Pseudo Pompous, Brian Mak, Arynn, MochiatoFly, Lydia Lim, Jüst Ølî, Grace Mary Power, Elena, Zaib Jawed, Timofei Vladimirovich, Anthony Verrelli, PulseWire, Writing Ninja, Peyton Crowder, THE PILGRIM DIARIES, Zahera Noor, Krishna.D108, Cayce Fisher, Devika Malik, Arun Jain, Quantum Vault, Sarah Kyomugisha, Daniel, Diane Brander, Tyagarajan Sundaresan, Aurora, Jaidis Shaw, Carole Longe, Katti Anhut..
Thanks Dr Mehmet Yildiz for adding these writers to our publications during the festive seasons and onboarding them with clear guidance for their success in 2024. Here are the guiding stories new writers can review.
If you are interested in joining our editorial team, please feel free to contact our chief editor Dr Mehmet Yildiz, on Illumination’s Slack Workspace.
You may check out the criteria for our volunteer editorial role.
Meet Our New Writers
New writers are welcome to create a BIO introducing themselves from their pen.
Invitation to New Writers
ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications are inclusive and diverse, supporting 26,000+ contributors. Different levels of writers, from absolute beginners to the most accomplished ones, delight our readers with their educative and engaging content.
To join our vibrant publications, please send a request via this link. We will help you gain visibility and succeed as a writer on Medium. Please mention the publication name with your Medium account ID in the request.
ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications include:
ILLUMINATION ILLUMINATION-Curated ILLUMINATION’ S MIRROR ILLUMINATION Book Chapters Technology Hits SYNERGY Readers Hope Illumination on YouTube Illumination Gaming Lampshade of Illumination ILLUMINATION’s Blog EUPHORIA by Dr Mehmet Yildiz
New writers, when you need help please don’t hesitate to contact me on Slack workspace or Discord server. I introduce these services below.
I also enjoy introducing writers on YouTube. So if you are interested you may contact me on Slack or Discord.
Here is some info about Slack and Discords
About Me
I write articles in my field covering gaming, film-making, social media, and design. I am also a YouTuber. Thank you for subscribing to my account to get notifications when I post on Medium. I created a new website to share my content for free and promote stories of writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I also have a Substack newsletter. Let’s connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.
I own two publications on Medium. One for video gamers and another for YouTubers and Podcasters. I also support Illumination Integrated Publications as a volunteer editor and participate in collaborative activities in the Slack Workspace.
Writer applications for my publications can be sent via this weblink. Please add your Medium ID. I also enjoy email marketing using Cliqly, which is my affiliate link.
