Summary

Imabong Faminu, a Nigerian writer, poet, and author, shares her journey into writing, her discovery of Medium, and the establishment of her own publication, "MIND METAMORPHOSIS," under the mentorship of Dr. Mehmet Yildiz at Illumination.

Abstract

Imabong Faminu, an avid reader and writer from Nigeria, has embraced a life centered around words. She has worn many hats, including wife, mother, and author, and has always found solace and stimulation in reading and writing. Her passion for words led to her first published piece in a church magazine, which sparked her interest in writing as a career. After losing her job, she turned to Medium, where she found a supportive community and eventually launched her publication, "MIND METAMORPHOSIS," with the guidance of Dr. Mehmet Yildiz and the Illumination team. Imabong values the educational and communal aspects of writing and aims to create a space that celebrates the power of words.

Opinions

Imabong considers reading and engaging in vigorous discourse as enlightening and invigorating experiences.
She views Illumination as a nurturing literary family, appreciating its inclusive policy and the diverse opportunities it provides for writers.
Dr. Mehmet Yildiz, the founder of Illumination, is highly regarded by Imabong for creating a supportive environment for writers to grow and succeed.
Imabong is inspired by the journey of Dr. Mehmet Yildiz, seeing it as a testament to the potential for growth and achievement in the writing community.
She aspires to have her stories curated and recognized widely, aiming for a Top Writer status on Medium despite the platform's shifting emphasis away from curation.
With the launch of "MIND METAMORPHOSIS," Imabong aims to establish a publication that appeals to discerning wordsmiths and serves as a hub for quality content.

ILLUMINATION WRITER BIO

An Onward Journey

Introducing Imabong Faminu

Hi there. This is Imabong — a fellow writer, avid reader, lover of all things words, and life traveler.

I consider myself a native of Nigeria and a citizen of the world even though I reside in Nigeria. I wear several hats — wife, mum, writer, poet, and author. I find vigorous discourse (not arguments) stimulating, educative, enlightening, and invigorating.

Growing up, my idea of fun was finding a quiet spot to read my favorite book and since my parents encouraged us to read wide academically, we tended to extend the same practice to our private reading. Therefore, when reading, I seek to be educated, informed, enlightened, motivated, inspired, and entertained. I want to learn about the past, be informed of the present, and imagine a future of endless possibilities.

How It Began

Writing was a natural outgrowth of my love for reading although, at the time, I considered journaling a mere hobby. My first ever inkling into the possibility of being a published writer came after a random submission to my church magazine was accepted and published as the cover story for the month. See link (http://archives.adventistworld.org/2013/december/the-waiting-womb.html). After that, life and work kind of happened even though I kept up my journaling practice.

2019/2020 saw me considering writing as a viable career path after the loss of my full-time job. It was around this time that I discovered Medium — a great platform and community for writers and readers. I began submitting stories even though I didn’t quite understand the inner workings or full guidelines. As I continued to read, engage, and build momentum, I began to get a better understanding of how Medium works.

Finding Illumination

I discovered Illumination pretty early on my way to understanding how Medium worked and requested to be a writer. What made Illumination attractive was the acceptance of submissions from a wide variety of writers and diverse topics and the fact that they accepted previously published stories (I self-published my first set of stories without knowing much about how publications worked) I have found Illumination to be one big literary family — the community and camaraderie are great. Dr Mehmet Yildiz or Doc as I like to call him created this communal space within Medium which has provided an invaluable source of information and education about Medium and other writing opportunities. Writers are encouraged to take advantage of all the available opportunities on Medium with the full support of Dr. Mehmet and the editorial team. Another grand initiative is the opportunity given to Illumination writers who float their own publications to advertise/announce/introduce them on illumination. This selfless gesture amplifies Illumination’s inclusive policy and hallmarks of diversity, synergy, fusion, and serendipity.

Mind Rumblings and Beginnings

I had been pondering on how to up my medium game before the new policies were rolled out. Even though the new Medium model places less emphasis on curation, I still aspire to be a Top writer or have my stories curated because of the potential for wider distribution and by extension wider readership.

Floating a publication seemed like the next logical step so I conducted a search on Medium stories, publications, tags, and topics to get as much information as I could. What I found was a treasure trove of stories by several wonderful writers that provided step-by-step directions on how to set up. The game-changer was a story I found by Casey Botticello (below)

How to Create a Medium Publication

A comprehensive guide to starting a Medium publication

medium.com

which elicited a response from Doc with questions about how to start up a publication. I was really inspired by the fact that Doc — the owner of Illumination was once a newbie too. I took this as my personal challenge — If Doc could start somewhere and grow, so could I.

The Next stage

The next stage involves bringing my work under one umbrella so my fans, followers, readers, and fellow writers can have a go-to place for all their favorite content. I present my new publication, MIND METAMORPHOSIS (https://medium.com/mind-metamorphosis) — a publication dedicated to celebrating the beauty and power of words.

My ambition is to make Mind Metamorphosis the go-to publication for discerning wordsmiths who understand that words matter.

A Word of Appreciation

I would like to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to Dr Mehmet Yildiz and the entire editorial team at ILLUMINATION. Thank you for your support and for giving my writing a home

Blessings!

Imabong