Editorial Newsletter

Illuminating the Steps Towards Better Writing and Achievement from 0 to 1

Better writing and an unwavering focus on achievement is a journey

Dear Writers,

We are approaching the end of June 2021, and many of you are expectant of additional monetary rewards. Our editors in ILLUMINATION know that, and we want to support you in this endeavor.

This newsletter does exactly that. This is written with 2 months of engagement bonus in mind. Please refer to Presenting the Latest Updates, Structure for Better Writing, and Pitfalls to Avoid for more details as required.

There are 3 sections in this newsletter: -

1. Write with an Intent.
2. Bootstrapping Top Writers and what they really do.
3. Aldric’s personal pick for reading and better writing.

We aim to create a crucible of independent thinkers and writers at Illumination. That is the only way (in my opinion) to achieve excellence in the long run.

I stand by Peter Thiel in this regard.

All failed companies are the same: they failed to escape competition.

― Peter Thiel, Zero to One

Write With An Intent

Many writers come with intent, such as higher earnings, getting that coveted Top Writer badge, building a content portfolio. How do we achieve the above without writing the entire day and not run into the wretched Writer’s Block?

The solution is simple. Avoid random writing.

Writing randomly is the perfect recipe for a perfect disaster waiting to happen at the perfect time.

You want to be firing all cylinders throughout the month if you are gunning for the bonus. You probably wouldn’t want to burn out by the 20th when the last mile comes along.

I recommend the following approach:

• Choose a topic for the month.
• Write on it, around it, beyond it.
• Publish it in various publications.
• Use relevant tags.

Assume your topic of choice for July is Finance.

You write on it by focusing on finance and money. You can write around it by writing on personal finance and corporate finance. You can write beyond it by writing on FinTech and writing about writing about finance.

And then, send stories to different publications: -

• Send your best ones to Illumination-Curated.
• Send the FinTech ones to Technology Hits.
• Send those writings about writing about writing about money to Synergy.
• Send the generic blogging stories to Illumination.

Make sure you use relevant, related tags.

I would use the following tags for the above example — #Finance, #PersonalFinance, #CorporateFinance, #Money, #Fintech, #Technology, #Writing, #Thinking, #ThisHappenedToMe.

Bootstrapping Top Writers And What They Do

This is easy. Just spend time reviewing the profile of Top Writers, and you will understand how they got their shiny badges.

Dr. Preeti Singh and Liam Ireland are living examples of writing consistency and topic focus.

First, they write daily. Second, they write a lot on the same topic and similar topics.

Dr. Preeti Singh devotes a significant percentage of her stories to Travel (she is a Top Writer in Travel). Liam Ireland does the same for Music (he is a Top Writer for Music).

Success leaves clues, my friends.

Aldric’s Personal Pick For Reading And Better Writing

We become better writers through writing and reading.

These are the stories I enjoyed reading this week. Thank you, writers!

First off, I would have never associated babies with productivity. This story blew me away.

For performing a task requiring concentration, viewing images of cute baby animals improved performance by a whopping 43.9%… It is not just the women who performed better after the cuteness. Though men gave lower ratings to the cute baby animals, there was no measurable difference in the boost in productivity.

Priyanka Mashelkar| Finally, A Productivity Tip You Will Adore (and Cuddle)

Productivity requires us to be mindful. It is our choice to live in the present and focus on what matters. Ada’s method is both actionable and practical.

I begin every day with an inspirational quote. It sets the mood for a great day. I have collected over 3000 of them. I have gathered a few of my favorites on happiness and they are here waiting for you.

Ada LLoyd| I Learned Happiness Is A Mindful Choice I Could Make Now

And then, there is Maria’s story on procrastination. She writes so well about our weird behavior.

And despite the fact that eventually we are going to have take the bull by the horn and do whatever is worrying us, we still prevaricate, and elect to live in no-man’s-land, until we are without choice.

Maria Rattray| In Procrastination Can We Find Solutions?

It is time we start doing and procrastinate resting.

Summary

I hope you enjoyed this editorial newsletter.

All the best to your writing endeavors!

Happy Writing, People.

Aldric

Priyanka Mashelkar Ada LLoyd Dr Mehmet Yildiz Liam Ireland Maria Rattray Karen Madej Dr. Preeti Singh Agnes Laurens Josh Balerite Acol Claire Kelly Carol Price Tree Langdon The Maverick Files Terry L. Cooper Geetika Sethi Noorain Hassan, BMS Britni Pepper

About the Author:

As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure. Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.

Do reach out and say hi on Linkedin and Twitter!