Hello, I’m Excited to Introduce Myself as a New Editor for Illumination

From The Editor’s Desk with Love

Hi Friends,

About Me

I am Surekha Chandrasekhar, a new Editor of ILLUMINATION publications on Medium, an avid reader, and a lover of the written word.

I live in Pune city along with my husband and two children.

I am a hobbyist Photographer and a food enthusiast who loves cooking. I have repurposed my Granny’s cooking into a book ‘’ The Tastes Of Classic Coconut Cuisine ‘’ and self-published it on Amazon.

I love nature, music, and movies. I love traditional Indian clothes and shopping for sarees from various weavers in India.

I am inclined to Zen and try to practice Kaizen as an uplifting spiritual practice. Also, I am a hoarder of books and have a huge collection of books in my home library.

My crush on Medium and my love for reading brings me here. Even before subscribing to Medium, one of the first things I did in the morning was read a Medium blog for inspiration. I started writing on Medium on April 6th, 2023. I submitted my first blog with the help and guidance of a friend Prahalad Rajkumar who is a top writer on Medium.

After submitting my first blog, my friend instructed me to join ILLUMINATION and contact Dr Mehmet Yildiz for approval as a writer. I introduced myself to Dr. Yildiz, citing my previous blogging experience for two years in a writing community os. me. He warmly welcomed me to the Illumination community and helped me publish my first blog in ILLUMINATION.

Building a strong sense of community connection

As soon as I published my first blog, I met other popular writers and senior editors,Dr. Preeti Singh Dr. Gabriella Korosi, Vidya Sury, Collecting Smiles, and Gerald The Sturg.

These kind-hearted writers encouraged me and made me feel comfortable as a beginner. I felt like a happy plant in the sunlight and continued with my reading and writing in the new and cozy environment of great bloggers.

Medium is a vast ocean of writers and readers. Here everyone is treated with respect and warmth.

I read many inspiring stories of hard-working and talented writers taking up writing as full-time work, leaving their 9 to 5 jobs.

Illumination is a friendly and fast-growing Publication on Medium. At Illumination, we feel the warmth of a big family of lovely people headed by the compassionate visionary Dr. Mehmet Yildiz. I am so excited our Illumination family touched 70k followers now, supporting 22K writers, and keeps growing daily.

The turning point of my career

I joined the Slack workspace and used it to clear my doubts with Dr. Yildiz.

I always found him active and working on Slack with few breaks. For every question, Dr. Yildiz supported me with links for related topics for reading.

One day I told Dr. Yildiz I read three to four blogs in a day.

His reply was phenomenal.

He said ‘’ Surekha, I read hundred and twenty to hundred and forty blogs in a day ‘’.

I couldn’t believe my ears. I told him ‘’ Dr. this is humanly impossible’’

He replied,

‘’ I am a fast reader. This is how I manage 11 publications ‘’.

I thought in my mind …

‘’ Dr. you must be a superhuman with magical powers! ‘’

Yet, I felt deeply about his work culture and longed to work on the Editorial team. I wanted to do my bit and give back to my favorite publication, which welcomed me and gave me a place as a newcomer.

In the Newsletter which came in June, I read Illumination is looking for Editors to serve the community.

I saw the opportunity and told Dr. Mehmet about my stint working as a guest Editor in the os. me writing community.

He immediately took the steps to induct me as an Editor initially to Reader’s Hope, Illumination’s Mirror, Synergy, and Illumination’s Book Chapters. I was hesitant and overwhelmed initially by this huge responsibility.

I trusted Dr. Mehmet’s instincts and started working as an Editor. I found an amazing mentor in Gerald the Sturge, who cleared my doubts and quickly prepared me for my work.

Soon one of the senior Editors went on leave, and I found a place as an Editor in the Illuminations along with the other smaller pubs.

Now I read almost twenty blogs a day as a part of my work. Some days I read up to forty when drafts are raining in the Q.

My Commitment as an Editor

I want to publish great works and delight the avid readers of Medium.

I am always here to help anyone who has a doubt about submission.

My advice to new writers

Write from your heart.

Write without mistakes in simple language.

Use Grammarly. It has a free version and is easy to use.

Readers are intelligent and passionate.

You will monetize your work only if it is well-read and appreciated.

Writers, I request you to read this blog by Liam Ireland, one of our senior Editors, about the guidelines of publishing.

This will help you as a writer to get published easily and ease the workload of Editors who are happily giving their time to serve you grow as a writer.

Follow the instructions carefully before submission. Illumination has an onboarding pack for writers providing guidance to new writers joining our publications. Here is the link:

Take out time to read. Reading will give you the depth, insights, and, motivation required for great writing.

Don’t stop learning.

You may also benefit from the experience of Dr Mehmet Yildiz, who recently shared his knowledge and insights about writing impactful content on Medium to increase the chance of boosting, featuring, and better distributing your stories.

This action-oriented story with a comprehensive checklist might take your writing to another level.

My favorite quote

‘’ When you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it ‘’- The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

Remember to maintain a positive attitude and keep moving toward your goals, one step at a time!

Keep smiling!

Please contact me on Illumination’s Slack workspace when you need help. I will be happy to support you like our other fellow editors.

If you are new on Medium, you are welcome to join our publications by sending your Medium profile Id via our writer application portal.