Editor’s Picks — Top 10: Express Yourself, Don’t Depress Yourself
Supporting 10 different writers daily is easy — Illumination-Curated
A good writer makes many decisions when she begins to write. According to William Zinsser, countless successive decisions go into every actor of writing.
You have to decide the topic you want to write about — it is the most important decision. But after that, you decide every sentence, every perspective, and every word. You have to choose your voice, purpose, depth, and length as well.
The completion of your first draft is the first step, but you still have to organize your story. Editing the article in a way that you are satisfied is a challenge. You have to express yourself — that is not easy.
After you have rearranged sentences, you have to decide whether the sentences are clear and pleasing. If you forget to maintain tension and logic as you move from writing one sentence to the next, your story will lose its ability to engage the readers.
If you plan your thoughts in the right way, your readers will feel compelled to read on to the end.
Here is the list of our top 10 stories from Illumination-Curated. These writers choose their words carefully — so please don’t skim and skip:
10. Bitcoin Will Make You Richer And Here’s Why
Isaiah McCall is a USA Today reporter. His eye-opening account of how Bitcoin can make you rich is a must-read. Don’t miss it.
Bitcoin is going to change the world — and if you take a second to learn about it, you’ll understand why. After an abysmal 2018 to 2019 stretch, Bitcoin is nearing an all-time high. The price is up 166% this year and big-name investors don’t think it’s going to stop.
Why is Bitcoin rallying right now? Because more people are starting to accept, and trust it as a currency.
9. A Priest Called Me Promiscuous and I Cried Tears of Joy
Tracy Stengel is a writer and a freelance fiction editor. Her beautiful style will keep you interested. She is telling us a story about her confession.
It wasn’t the first time I had come to talk to this priest. We’d met privately a couple of times before. I was going on my fifth consecutive year of pain, fear, and misery. There was no end in sight.
I clung to my torso with my arms crossed as if giving myself a much-needed hug. My ribs stuck out. I was malnourished — both nutritionally and spiritually.
8. The Curious Case of the Man Who Ate Nothing For Over a Year
Maria Cross is a registered nutritionist and a nutrition writer. Her story will shock you. But it is a true story — and a part of medical literature.
In June 1965, a 27-year-old Scottish man weighing 456lb (207kg) decided to stop eating until he reached his desired weight of 180lb (82kg). Angus Barbieri ate nothing whatsoever for 382 days, achieved his goal, and lived to tell the tale.
Morbidly obese, Barbieri certainly needed to lose weight, but no, this is not one to try at home. His approach was potentially life threatening, which is why this superhuman feat was achieved under strict medical supervision. Before embarking on his fast, Angus checked into the Maryfield Hospital in Dundee, returning regularly for evaluation and occasionally staying overnight.
7. The Death Road, Bribery and Swimming With Crocodiles in The Amazon Rainforest
You’ll love Paul Abela, MSc’s writing voice. He is a brilliant writer and he wants to share his experiences.
For the last few days, I had been scanning the murky Amazon River for the enigmatic, elusive, majestic pink dolphin. Our guide, Carlos, kept on telling us if we were fortunate enough to see pink dolphins we could jump in and go for a swim. At first, I thought he was joking. After all, we were in crocodile-infested waters.
But, the pink dolphin is the crocodile’s sworn enemy. And, if you’re lucky enough to see them, you can ‘safely’ swim in the water, with the comfort that the dolphins have your back. So Carlos kept on telling us, anyway.
6. She Encouraged Me to Share on Stage
Liz Porter is a solopreneur who wants to inspire her readers. She is talking about a serious topic. Don’t miss it.
Deciding on the soft pink blazer, I slid my bare feet into grey strappy sandals to pull the outfit together.
A nervous wreck, I ran back to the bathroom for the third time. That’s when I knew I’d be skipping breakfast.
It was still early, but I couldn’t trust the traffic, so I gunned it out of the driveway and took off. I considered bailing several times that morning, but Elizabeth counted on me, and I couldn’t let her down.
5. The English Filter Teacher, Mrs. Marilyn Monroe
Tooth Truth Roopa Vikesh’s style is simple and direct. I hope you enjoy the story she wants to share.
Her name was Marilyn Monroe. Born Marilyn Paul, she had fallen for a handsome sportsman called Terry Monroe, and so she was now Marilyn Monroe.
In any other part of the world, it might have incited comment. In the Hindi-speaking town of Tatanagar, nobody had heard of the actress, and so the joke-cracking opportunity went unused.
4. My Farewell to Being A Smith
Tracy Stengel is a writer and a freelance fiction editor. Her charming style will keep you engaged. This story is an exciting take on a popular topic.
I married into the Smith name in 1998. I kept the name much longer than I did the husband.
At first, I was relieved to score a common name. It could have been so much worse. I don’t think I’d have done well with being Ms. Weiner, Ms. Schmuck, Ms. Cummings or Ms. Cox.
Forgive me, I’m not that mature of a person.
3. Watch Again What The Very Best Of Film Offers
Stuart Englander writes to inspire. He loves to write film reviews. If you choose to read this story, you’ll become a fan for life.
The genre that’s known as ‘Film Noir’ came to prominence in the post-war era with the emergence of stars like Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson. Some still argue that film noir isn’t a true genre at all. Regardless of its name, however, there is one film that blazed a trail of artistry in cinema that can never be denied.
While Ansel Adams was busily displaying his photographic work as a bonified artform with the study of shadow and light, there was one young filmmaker that drew on similar principles to usher in a new era of cinematic excellence.
2. Dave Chappelle’s “Unforgiven” Is A Masterpiece Of Persuasive Writing
At number two, Steve QJ is a wonderful writer. His work is an inspiration for all of us. Writing killer sentences comes naturally to him. Enjoy.
It’s easy to forget that comedians are writers first. Before they get up on stage in front of thousands of people and make us laugh, they sit in a room, alone, and figure out how they’re going to do it. The good ones do it so well that it feels like they’re up there just getting things off their chests.
Dave’s Chappelle’s Unforgiven is no exception, but he takes the concept to a whole new level. What feels like an impromptu set, casually thrown up on Instagram in the middle of the week, is really an eighteen-minute and twenty-eight-second declaration of war against the corporations he feels have wronged him.
1. Why The Buddhists and Aztecs Insist That Happiness Follows The Words You Say
At number one, Sebastian Purcell, Ph.D., is talking about how your words pre-frame your mind. I wrote about this topic in one of my articles.
The noted psychologist, Robert Cialdini, relates a story that changed his mind about the impact of small words. He was invited to give a talk at SSM Health, a non-profit in the medical industry renowned for its stratospheric performance. Yet he was told that in his presentation he would have to replace specific words.
Instead of “bullet points” say “talking points.”
Instead of “attacking a problem” say “approaching a problem.”
Instead of “beat the competition” say “outdistance the competition.”
Befuddled, Cialdini asked: why? Why would such small words matter?
Final Thoughts
No matter how hard I try, it’s difficult for me to read everything we publish on Illumination-Curated.
If you are an editor, writer, or reader of Illumination and if you have read a story that you loved, drop its link in the comments. If you want to write a few lines as a review of the story, it would help me even more. I’ll publish the short review with your name.
I would love to include the stories — and the short reviews — in my top 10 stories tomorrow.
To improve your chances of success as a writer, read these curation guidelines.
You can read my curated stories here.
