Summary

Arthur G. Hernandez shares his transformative experience with writing on Medium, particularly after joining the Illumination publication, which significantly improved his engagement and reach.

Abstract

Arthur G. Hernandez began writing on Medium in March 2019, initially with modest success. Despite an early hiatus due to professional demands, he returned to writing thanks to encouragement from Dr. Mehmet Yildiz and interactions with other writers like Paul Myers MBA. Joining Illumination, a publication curated by Dr. Yildiz, marked a turning point in Hernandez's writing career. The publication provided a supportive community, resources like a Slack channel and Publisher's Spotlight, and strategies for content promotion, which collectively amplified his writing's visibility and impact. Hernandez emphasizes the importance of the Illumination team in fostering growth and the mutual benefits for writers and readers due to the high-quality content showcased by the publication.

Opinions

The author initially believed that writing from the heart would automatically attract readers, but later realized the importance of strategic engagement and community support.
Early interactions and encouragement from fellow Medium writers, specifically Agnes Louis, Bridget Webber, and Anna Rozwadowska, were highly valued by the author.
A significant downturn in the author's writing life was reversed by the encouraging response from Dr. Mehmet Yildiz, highlighting the impact of mentorship and peer support.
The Illumination publication is portrayed as a nurturing environment that offers writers tools, challenges, and a collaborative network to enhance their skills and exposure.
The author attributes his success post-Illumination to the combination of writing talent, a supportive team, and the adoption of new promotional strategies, including sharing on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Dr. Yildiz is acknowledged for his role in building the Illumination community by seeking out talented and good-hearted writers, similar to a character recruiting a team for a noble cause.
The author stresses that while Illumination provides significant support, success also requires effort, learning, and the willingness to step out of one's comfort zone.
Illumination is presented as a solution for writers who are either new to Medium or experiencing a plateau in their writing journey, offering direction and motivation.
The author concludes with an invitation to join Illumination, emphasizing the potential for personal and professional growth within a supportive and talented community.

Infused with the Passions of Many

My Experience with the Illumination Publication

I started out believing if I just wrote something from the heart, people would drop right in to read it. I thought once it was posted, it would be available for the whole world to find, and readers would come in droves. But I was wrong — sort of.

When I started writing on Medium in March of 2019, it was an experiment for me. I just wanted to test it out and see what it was all about. I published a few stories and had some early success. Something like 2 views, 1 read, and a clap.

It was fine. I knew it would take time. I followed people and sometimes they followed me back. I came across a few writers whose work I really enjoyed, and we were able to interact with each other through claps and responses. It was enjoyable, and I really appreciated the encouragement I received from them in my early days. Three of them actually joined us on Illumination and I want to take a moment to thank them.

Thank you Agnes Louis, Bridget Webber, and Anna Rozwadowska.

The times you interacted with me and my work meant more to me than you know.

Encouragement from afar works wonders, and it was an enjoyable time for me on Medium. At some point, however, my writing life took a downturn. I was recruited away from a job I had held for 15 years, and getting up to speed to prove my value in the new company required much time and effort. And let us be real here — I still hadn’t established any lasting discipline with my writing.

I published an article in October of 2019 and after that. . .nothing. I interacted here and there, and I told a few friends about my article, but not much more than that. Over the next few months, my writing life waned.

Luckily, there was a doctor in the house.

In January of 2020, Dr Mehmet Yildiz left me a nice and very encouraging response to my October article. How did he even find it? Regardless, I thought it might be time to get back on the horse. He had succeeded in wrangling me to action, and I thank him for that.

I posted again in late February (it was a really long ride back to the writing house), and I started interacting with Paul Myers MBA about a few of his leadership articles. It was interaction that kept me invested in the game. Thank you, Paul. Soon after that, Dr. Yildiz showed up in my life again and everything changed.

I received the invite to join Illumination, and my writing life grew brighter.

Here is a picture of my progress so far.

Infused with the Passions of Many-Image by Arthur G. Hernandez

These are my results — yours may vary. You can clearly see a change from when I first published on the publication on March 23rd. I want to highlight the difference in two strategies I have used. The above image shows the new Illumination strategy. It involves the similar strategies from before — the strategies of writing, following, reading, and responding, but in my current strategy, I’ve included sharing my work on Twitter and LinkedIn. One of the benefits of using these social media outlets is it makes my work visible to other Medium writers who might not see it on the Medium platform.

Yet, these strategies are available to anyone on Medium, so what makes using them on Illumination so special? I would have to say it is Dr. Yildiz.

Before setting up the publication, Dr. Yildiz traveled up and down Medium for months, interacting with as many writers as he could by reading their work, learning from them, and responding to them. He was like Yul Brynner in the movie, The Magnificent Seven, going around looking for people with strong talent and a good heart, and offering them a chance to do something great.

Now, Illumination consists of a massive group of talented individuals from many fields and from all across the globe, working towards the common goal of making your writing life fulfilling.

Imagine that. A group of people who barely know you, willing to help you showcase your work around the world. A team willing to help you hone your talent, if you ask. Offering you access to Illumination’s very own Slack Channel for additional behind-the-scenes support. And a website called Publisher’s Spotlight, created by Chris Hedges 🦄, for you to upload your work and have it promoted. Illumination also provides various writing challenges for you to take on, if you choose to do so, designed to improve the quality and quantity of your writing, while also improving your number of connections. And above all else, faster publication-posting and faster feedback on your work.

The publication pours an incredible amount of energy into its team, its tools, and its talent, and because of that, Illumination can greatly multiply your efforts.

Why all the support, you ask? Illumination was created to maximize the talent of the writers, and because of that, the readers will always have access to top quality content.

Let’s compare this After-Illumination strategy with the strategy I used in my previous 30 days, in an image I titled: Community of Arthur.

Community of Arthur-Image by Arthur G. Hernandez

Yes, the image is correct. It’s a really dramatic difference, and though you might say it looks like the difference between trying and not trying, I will say this — they are both pictures of me trying.

The first image happens to be a picture of me trying with a massive support team behind me. That’s the difference. The team guided me and instructed me towards actions that would aid my growth as a writer and as a marketer. By allowing myself to be led, I received the benefit of extraordinary results.

But I want to let you know, Illumination isn’t magic. It’s going to take effort on your part, perhaps stretching outside of your comfort zone, developing new habits, and learning new technology. But it’s okay, there are many here who will assist you through the tough parts, just don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s the only way we’re all going to thrive.

If you’re new to Medium and you feel you need help getting started, Illumination might be the place for you. If you feel your efforts have plateaued, and you’re not sure what to do next, Illumination can provide you with direction and motivation. It’s really just up to you now, but one of the biggest things I learned in my life is this:

If you’re curious about what your future might hold, then join us here on ILLUMINATION. Bring your talent, bring your good heart, and let’s do something great!

Thank you.