Celebration! What New Writers Can Expect from ILLUMINATION
ILLUMINATION is maturing. Our publication has 1,600+ writers now and 14,000+ readers. How can writers be successful here?
The Medium publication ILLUMINATION is three months old now. On March 21, I published my first story here.
And now I can follow up with a success story.
14,000+ followers of the publication.
1,600+ writers
This is a remarkable result in three months' time.
You are a reader (and perhaps also a writer) now that you are absorbing these words. Well, the proof is in the pudding. I always say: “You are your own guru”. Try being a writer for ILLUMINATION and you’ll find out if it’s good for you.
Diversity, Synergy, Fusion, and Serendipity
So what’s this success worth? And what can you, as one of our new writers, expect from publishing in ILLUMINATION?
Well, first of all, the whole publication is a joined effort. We are very, very, very inclusive. Everyone is welcome! All topics are welcome! Just write your best stories, learn, grow as a writer, spread a positive vibe, and have fun. That’s all we ask.
But to be successful as a writer, you can choose to do more.
In this story, I already gave some tips and tricks. Our keywords are diversity, synergy, fusion, and serendipity.
- Be active
- Give abundantly
- Receive and share fun
- Spread the fun on social media
You can read the rest in the story…
How about Success?
My own success has improved tremendously by being active in ILLUMINATION. I read a lot of stories. Appreciating the author, and commenting. Adding value to their stories in my own way. I really enjoy the contacts and exchanges. Some of the writers have become real friends!
The extra comes from other social media. There’s the slack group where everyone connects.
You can request an invitation to Slack from this link. Please type Request for Slack as a heading.
I use my traditional channels, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Insta. But now I’ve started experimenting with Pinterest and Many Stories.
Others do Flipboard, but I haven’t checked that out yet. And it all adds up in my Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
So, all I can say is: join us on slack. Interact, ask your questions, and tap into the action. It’s fun! And the more active we become, the more successful we all will be.
Five words that my friends within ILLUMINATION are used to now: it all starts with giving. With connecting. With reading and shining a light on other writers…
Keep Informed
The founder of this publication, Dr Mehmet Yildiz, writes updates every day. Check them out for ideas and updates on what’s new and what’s next. Here’s a recent example.
If you are a new writer, you can check the daily editorial bulletins of Dr Mehmet Yildiz compiled and maintained by another editor Ming Qian for easy access. Dr Yildiz introduces new writers, daily curated articles, featured articles for the publication and many other tips and tricks for the writers to be successful. It is all about empowering the writers.
And if you want to try and figure out the success factors for curation, here are the articles that received Medium curation. Check them out, learn and brew your own recipe…Many stories were distributed to many amazing topics on Medium. This compiled list can be an excellent starting point for new writers who prepare for curation on Medium.
Or check out this article by Ming Qian who analyzed the curation profile on ILLUMINATION.
ILLUMINATION is growing rapidly. In fact, it is the fastest-growing publication on Medium. If you are into data, statistics, and want to check out the triple-digit growth numbers, read this article by Arthur G. Hernandez.
Writer BIOs
Dr Mehmet Yildiz encouraged all ILLUMINATION writers to create a story about their background. I saw that 200+ writers introduced themselves so far. I see this an opportunity for our writers to showcase their writing portfolio. I recommend all new writers to introduce themselves in an article.
Dr Yildiz compiles these introductions, keep this resource on the first page of our publication and also share the file with 14,000+ readers. Please see the attached bio document as an example for creating your bios. Our readers are interested in knowing more about our writers.
YouTube Channel
A recent adventure of ILLUMINATION is the YouTube channel. Several writers have already been brave (I’m not one of them yet. Still working up my courage and experimenting with the craft…) Like Karen Madej 💛Arthur G. Hernandez Suntonu Bhadra Alison Tennent Michele Thill Sharon Hurley Hall Holly Jahangiri Francine Fallara Chris Hedges. They made introduction videos on Youtube.
Ann K Frailey deserves a special mention. Check out the several book trailer videos she posted. They are awesome! Congratulations, Ann. You give us something to strive for…
As Dr Mehmet Yildiz mentioned we have many published authors on ILLUMINATION who cross pollinate. You can check the invitation to our published authors by Dr Yildiz.
Here is invitation to all writers to join ILLUMINATION YouTube channel.
You can subscribe the YouTube channel via this link.
Interviews with Writers
It’s always fun to put people you admire in the spotlights. Dr Mehmet Yildiz publishes a series of interviews with writers. You can find them here. He also features an interview story on the front page each day. This is a great opportunity for our writers to gain visibility by thousands of visitors of ILLUMINATION on each day.
And one of the writers from the beginning, Gurpreet Dhariwal, also interviews writers she admires. Here are some examples of how she puts the spotlights on Amy Marley and Annelise Lords. And check out the many more interviews with inspiring writers she did via her profile…
What’s Next?
It has only just begun. So, if you are a writer, want to join in the fun, contribute, and become active. Feel welcome.
If you have ideas on what can be next, just tell us in the slack channel. If you have questions, check out the FAQ or post them also in the slack channel. The editors and other writers (like me) are available for chats and connections.
If you want to know what our other writers experienced and shared about ILLUMINATION you can check the collected sentiments in the attached story.
Editorial Corner
There is an editorial corner on the publication where new writer spotlights are shared. For example Timothy Key, Chris Hedges, Joe Luca, Kathryn A. LeRoy, Ph.D. are editors who share their reading in great stories.
Crossovers emerge. Friendships flourish. Collaborations jump over their own shadows. We dare. We stretch our boundaries. We share our experience and wisdom. We include all others.
We support.
We trust.
We create and co-create.
Happy writing! Happy connecting!
And if you want to connect, you can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or my website. Or somewhere in nature learning how ants work closely together to get a job done…
Further reading
In response to Selma:
In response to Henery X (long):
