I Read 100+ Boosted Stories and Here’s What I Learned
Featuring boosted stories I reviewed, edited, and read on ILLUMINATION publications and the common patterns identified in them
Recently, I’ve heard a lot about boosting, as many writers keep discussing it. Although none of my stories have been boosted yet, I’ve participated in assessing and editing stories as part of my editorial role in ILLUMINATION-Curated. Now, as an avid reader, I’ve gained insights that I want to briefly share in this story.
Some of my Friends of Medium mentioned that they loved boosted stories amplified by Aiden (Illumination Gaming) and ILLUMINATION-Curators. I agree with them as I enjoy them too. I believe all of them deserve a boost. They provided me with valuable insights while entertaining and stimulating my aging brain and hungry mind.
In these boosted stories, I noticed several key patterns that make them stand out. In presentation, their work is impressive, standing out and leaving a mark on editors, nominators, curators, and readers like me.
First off, their introductions are compelling, immediately grabbing the reader’s attention from the get-go.
Each story is well-structured, making it easy to follow along. They cover relevant topics that resonate with readers, drawing from personal experiences and expertise to add depth.
What’s more, their narratives are backed by credible sources, lending authority to their writing. They write with the reader in mind, empathizing and engaging throughout.
Offering a unique perspective, they bring fresh insights to familiar subjects, while also employing logical segmentation for seamless reading.
With balanced emotion and vivid sensory descriptions, their stories leave a lasting emotional and mental impact. They craft logical and empathetic arguments, effectively using subtlety and nuance to add depth.
Characters are developed with depth and complexity, often embodying symbolism and metaphors that enrich the narrative.
They demonstrate variance in tone, keep readers on their toes with surprising twists, and leave them with resonant endings that linger in the mind.
When I asked Dr Yildiz what criteria he uses when writing and editing his stories as well as reviewing stories of other writers, he shared these questions with me:
1 — Is my story impactful and constructive?
2 — Is my story original?
3 — Do I write from relevant experience?
4 — Is my story well-crafted?
5 — Does my story feel memorable?
He explained these points in a recent interview.
In addition, as a giveback activity, he wrote an educative story guiding writers to enhance the boost chance on Medium.
To increase the chance of boosting writers also need to understand and follow submission guidelines.
Recently Updated Submission Guidelines
ILLUMINATION Videos and Podcasts: Submission Guidelines 2023
Publishing and Conduct Guidelines for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION
If you have boosted stories not listed here and enjoyed from other readers please drop a line in comments and I will read and amplify them in my collections. I love sharing.
To make sharing easier I also compiled them in a single list. I link it here so you may share it on your socials, stories, or platforms.
After publishing the list it looks like it glitched showing only 26 out of 100+. I am 100% sure for adding all of them in the above list but they don’t show. However, they show on my generic reading list, which does not make any sense. So you may share the following list even better to give more options to readers.
You may also check my curated collections from ILLUMINATION publications as a giveback activity to the community.
List of Boosted Stories in My Review or Reading Collection
2 — What Car Shows Mean to Me and How They Enriched My Life Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
3 — Vitamin B12 Deficiency Rises, Concerning Me As It Was My Big Problem Dr Mehmet Yildiz
3 — Why Do We Love to Believe Wacky and Weird Stuff? James Alexander, MATheol, MA, PhD
4 — This Teacher’s Act Made Me Look For Him After 43 Years. Am I Too Late? Wendy King
6 — Timing Will Never Be Perfect; Do What You’re Meant to Do Now Vincent Van Patten
7 — The Fight Over Return-To-Office Is Getting Dirty Luay Rahil
8 — Which Type of Intermittent Fasting is Best for Weight Loss and Health? Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
9 — Can Companion Robots Solve the Loneliness Epidemic Among Elders? Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
10 — Echoes of Immortality — A Hero’s Final Anthem Donn K. Harris
11 — How I Learned to Meditate Again After a 40-Year Lapse, and What I Get From It Martin D. Hirsch
12 — Does Your Academic Performance Determine the Rest of Your Life? Clarissa Ai Ling Lee, PhD
13 — Lessons From the Frontline: Managing an International, Three-Year IT Integration Project Jozsef Kovacs
14 — Insights from a Scientist with a Poet’s Soul Pernoste & Dahl
16 — The Good Clime Retrieves The Sunken Heart — One Mild Allusion To Settle The Harmed Mind — Goodness… The Doctor — Joanie Adams
18 — Temple Trails Abroad: My Journey Through Balinese Hinduism Somil Gupta
19 — Surprising Life Lessons I Learned from Army Reserve Officer Training Danielle Spinks Earl
21 — Come Take a Peek Into the Minds, Lives, and Fears … of Queers Brian Feutz
22 — Things I Miss About the U.S. As an American Living in Paris Jolie Porter
25 — How To Safely Transform Dietary Protein Into Healthy Longevity? Dr. Lutz Kraushaar
26 — Common Medical Myths That Many People Continue to Believe Despite Proof to the Contrary David Mokotoff, MD
27 — Is It Possible to Completely Heal from Covert Narcissistic Abuse? Melissa Kalt, MD
28 — Returning to Tibet to Find Happiness Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD
29 — What We Learned When My Fiancée Was Hospitalised for Life-Threatening Anaemia Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
30 — Navigating the Abyss: When a Navy Helicopter Plunged into the Ocean Russell Carr MD
31 — Insider Insights: 10 Guidelines for Excelling as a Patient From an ER Doctor Joan Naidorf MD
32 — Humor Succeeds When It’s Relevant To Your Target Audience Mark Armstrong
33 — What Us Introverts Can Learn From Extroverts (and Vice-a-Versa) Sean Kernan
34 — Defining Spiritual Faith in a Life of Distraction Pernoste & Dahl
35 — When Helping Is Hurting: AI is Hurting Our Students Denise P King
36 — LSD’s Renaissance in Mental Health Treatment Matthew Bamberg
38 — A Personal Account of Live Aid — the Day Musicians United to Fight World Hunger Gill McCulloch
40 — Understanding the Nuances of 4 Types of Obesity Dr Mehmet Yildiz
41 — Gaming, Fun, and Humor: The Lifelines That Rescued Me From Social Media’s Grip on My Life Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
42 — 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami: Our Dad’s Heart Attack May Have Saved His Youngest Daughter Gill McCulloch
43 — New Years and the Value of Anti-Resolutions Sean Kernan
45 — Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters Dr Mehmet Yildiz
46 — Thinking Back on an Unsustainable Diet in a 12-Step Program and a Dramatic Weight Loss The Sturg
47 — Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters Dr Mehmet Yildiz
48 — The Real Reason Medicine and Science Cannot Give You Exact Guidelines David Mokotoff, MD
51 — The Year Arrives with a Cancer Diagnosis in the Family Bebe Nicholson
52 — Unravelling Rafflesia- A Most Unusual Parasitic Plant Rich Sobel
53 — The Artistic Meaning of Images Within Images Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD
54 — Cats and Copyediting: Using Illustration to Market a Book Mark Armstrong
55 — If You Want to Lose Weight, You Must Lose the Heavy Thinking First Elaine Hilides
56 — My Daughter’s Transgender Identity Didn’t Make Sense Tony Leo
58 — 6 Poor Coping Mechanisms Which Made My Trauma Worse Leon Macfayden
59 — Describing the Human Predicament: The Sun, the Clouds and Us David Gerken
61 — Here’s How Money Really Can Buy You Happiness Luay Rahil
62 — Gigantic Genomes and Supersized Salamander Cells Surprise Scientists and Put a Wrinkle in… Rich Sobel
64 — Beyond Blind Spots: A Multi-Perspective Journey Toward Greater Understanding George M Pantazis
65 — Who Is in Charge Here?–How Our Minds Control the Body Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi
66 — What’s So Wrong About Secretly Working Two Full-Time Jobs at Once Remotely? Luay Rahil
67 — Our Family Trip to Beautiful Kalam Valley in Pakistan: A Tale of Beauty and Adventure Ammara Hassan
68 — Do Eating and Breathing Noises Drive You Crazy? There May Be a Reason Elaine Hilides
70 — How I Mastered 4 Essential Requirements to Become a Better Leader and Served My Clients Jozsef Kovacs
71 — Seeing a Cop In Line At Starbucks Gave Me The Jitters G Correia
72 — Dying Is the Most Intimate Space We Ever Share Beth Riungu
73 — Mr. Speaker, There’s No Such Thing as a “Bible-Believing” Christian Guy Nave
74 — If You Eat a Healthy Diet, Save Your Money Because You Don’t Need Probiotics and Prebiotics David Mokotoff, MD
75 — The Gap in Male/Female Life Expectancy Keeps Growing Dr. Julian Barkan
76 — When The Great Himalayas Went Grey on Us, Literally Somil Gupta
77 — Examining the Impact of Rice Consumption on Type 2 Diabetes Prevalence Antonio Segovia, MD.
78 — Shutting Down the Inner Critic to Liberate Your True Self Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
80 — Why Business Organizations Must Implement the Zero Trust Security Strategy and Execute It… David Pui | Digital Transformation Architect
81 — Future Doctors and Nurses Don’t Want to See Patients Dr. Julian Barkan
82 — 5 Surprising Links Between Fitness and Photography Zacc Rowlands
84 — Synaesthesia I: A Life of Colors, The Early Years Donn K. Harris
85 — How to Be Safe in the World of Cybercrime Jussi Luukkonen — your curiosity guide
86 — Why Ban “Divisive” Teachings While Protecting Divisive Confederate Monuments? Guy Nave
87 — Overcoming Post-COVID-19 Long-Lasting Olfactory Issues Antonio Segovia, MD.
88 — How My Grandmother’s Legacy Goes Beyond the Wrinkles Gabriela Trofin-Tatár
89 — Better and Better and Better Humans Moshe Sipper, Ph.D.
90 — Should Doctors Be Less or More Empathetic? Dr. Julian Barkan
91 — How Cholesterol Levels Impact Your Heart Health Dr. K P Vasudeva Rao
92 — Four Ways to Balance Your Content Creation Obsession by Clayton Moulynox
93 — Neuroscience Behind Why I Read 1000 Books With My Son Before He Turned 5 Prashansa Gadgil
94 — Can I Connect with My Transgender Daughter as I Connected with My Son? Tony Leo
95 — How Ōura Got the Fitness Geeks and Insomniacs Around Its Little Finger Jussi Luukkonen — your curiosity guide
96 — How Survivorship Bias Colors Our World: Impact and How to Overcome It Sridhar Pai Tonse — Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups
102 — The Island Odyssey: A Weeklong Adventure in Rhodes Jozsef Kovacs
103 — Insanity Along the Seine River — Part 1 Shardul Deshpande
104 — Evolution and aging: do the dinosaurs have anything to do with human senescence? Eliot Bush
105 — How discovering microbes transformed our understanding of life and health Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
106 — Facing the Judge and Jury of Your Inner Critic jules — Miz Mindful
107 — I Wrote a Novel: Here Are 5 Laws of Creativity I Learned in the Process Kyle Chastain
108 — Understanding Black History in America Requires That One Knows Where “White” Originated William Spivey
109 — I’ll Never Forget the Lesson I Learned on My First Day of teaching Dr. Daniel H. Shapiro
110 — A Ukrainian Woman’s First-Hand Account of Forced Labor in Nazi Germany Oksana Kukurudza's Sunflowers Rarely Break
111 — Let’s Talk about Atheists and Firm Believers in the God of Abraham Marcus aka Gregory Maidman
112 — Enjoying and Making Sense of My Life Beyond Deaf Silence Joellyn Rose Keener, Author of Deaf and Determined
113 — Techno-Feudalism or Pax Machina Dr. Ali Hechmi Raddaoui
114 — Design-Wise Clues: The Twentieth Century and Beyond Matthew Bamberg
115 — Working Hard and Doing the Right Thing Will No Longer Get You the American Dream Toni Crowe
116– 4 Well-Research Benefits of Trimethylglycine (TMG) as a Methyl Donor Addressing Homocysteine Dr Mehmet Yildiz
117 — MTHFR Polymorphisms or Mutations: Getting Checked to Prevent Cardiovascular Issues Dr Mehmet Yildiz
I also read the organically boosted stories of Dr Mehmet Yildiz before the boost nomination started on ILLUMINATION-Curated. I link them here as they cover diverse topics and well-articulated and researched.
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
9 Essential Biomarkers for Preventive Cardiometabolic Health
Thank you for reading these stories.
Links to My Previous Collections
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Introduction to New Writers
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If you want to explore more from my life lessons? I compiled the links in a list to make it easy to find for you. Your feedback is important to me.
