Meet ILLUMINATION Writers
Interview with Sabana Grande
Featuring creative writers of ILLUMINATION
Purpose of the Story
One of my goals is to cross-pollinate writers and readers to create synergy and fusion on this platform. The purpose of this story is to share with you an interview that I conducted with Sabana Grande.
Sabana is an experienced writer on ILLUMINATION. As soon as he joined our publication, I sensed his existence because Sabana added great vitality to our community.
He supports our writers, engages with them meaningfully, and collaborates in our Slack channel. His stories are informative and insightful. I like his sense of humor.
Without further ado, let’s explore the background of this successful writer.
Tell us a bit about your background.
I come from a rural area in a poor country. My parents worked abroad — in Europe — in order to make enough money for me to have a decent life. I was raised by my grandparents.
They were both Math teachers and my grandfather was also the school principal. My mother is a doctor and my stepdad is a forester.
All of my family are really ambitious and have started their own businesses. I had a strict upbringing. Where I was raised, at the time, corporal punishment was still the norm in school and so I was very motivated by virtually everything around me to excel and to be at the top in all my academic endeavors and anything else I tried my hand at.
We emigrated at one point, which was tough for me. Upon learning English, I discovered that I enjoyed writing stories and used to write fanfiction for all my favorite cartoons to practice learning English. I was 10 years old and this was before fanfiction was cool.
I didn’t write much in high school before enrolling in Business College. I was in the 92nd percentile nationwide for the exams I took which were the equivalent of the SATs I believe in America (whichever exams are the ones you take to get into College).
After having excelled in my exams, I realized that Business School (which was the top one in our country for entrepreneurship) wasn’t what I really wanted to do.
I had, however, learned there how to make a living by trading stocks (after 4 years of practice) and that is what I still do today for most of my income.
I had decided to pursue writing as a career choice, although ‘career’ seems the wrong word to use to describe it. I just love writing regardless of what comes with it in terms of pats on the back or money (although I do like it when my work is read).
My goal as a writer is usually to bring a smile to people’s faces.
Why do you write on Medium?
I chose Medium as the platform I wanted to write on for 2 reasons: (although this isn’t the only place in which I write)
The first reason is that the community overall on Medium is amazing. I think Medium attracts the smartest and brightest of people on the web. And when I say bright, I also mean their souls.
I think you can avoid a lot of the asinine and opinionated pieces of writing that you so often find on websites such as Facebook. And in other places, people are always trying to sell you stuff.
Medium has the quality, with none of the advertising that we have become so used to. I don’t have to watch 5 consecutive 20-second ads and close 3 pop-ups to read an article here. And guess what? The articles are amazing which is why people choose to subscribe to the platform as a whole.
The second reason is, I like the streamlined look of this platform.
If Steve Jobs had made a website where one would have had the BEST possible experience writing and reading articles, I think this would be it. I’ve recently read his biography, Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and I agree with his principle of keeping everything as simple as possible in order to counter-intuitively ENRICH the user experience. I think that is what Medium has accomplished as well.
What are your values as a writer?
I would say spontaneity and adventurousness would be my best qualities as a writer. I don’t want to write pieces that make you want to reach for your monocle while you try to figure out complex philosophy.
I do write to entertain people, but also to educate them on things that I found have been an ASSET to me. However, I always keep things light-hearted while still remaining informative when I try to. My articles typically have little jokes sprinkled in, hoping to put a smile on your face and brighten your day.
I guess you could say that my goal is to be that ONE teacher that really taught you well in high school or college but whose class you still enjoyed. And when I write comedy, well, you can expect more ridiculousness and fewer statistics.
As for the editorial team, I’ve had one SECRET goal:
I don’t know if I’ve achieved this, but I’ve always dreamed that when I submit a piece to a publication editors go: “Thank God. I can relax and enjoy this. There are no grammar mistakes. It doesn’t have any of the usual crap that causes my hair to become grey early. IT’S ALMOST LIKE A BREAK.”
I understand that most of the pieces read by editors at ILLUMINATION — my favorite publication — are amazing. However, reading stuff because you have to may make the experience different for some people. I also write with the editors in mind when I do. I want them to lie back in their armchairs and be entertained. And if they learn something cool about extreme sports or psychology… so be it.
What are the top 3 books that affected your life?
I like this book because it was one of the first books that I read without being forced to. It had a title that appealed to me as a child. I then began to read mountains of books (literally mountains; my mom bought by the 100s) but this one always stayed with me.
People chase things that continue to cost them money. Then, they complain about not being able to buy the things they really want. To this day, I have been purposefully avoiding the consumerism that leads to you accruing more liabilities. Instead, I travel and practice extreme sports such as bungee jumping.
I think of one of my favorite quotes when I do this:
“Imagine if you will being on your death bed — and standing around your bed — the ghosts of the ideas, the dreams, the abilities, the talents given to you by life.
And that you for whatever reason, you never acted on those ideas, you never pursued that dream, you never used those talents, we never saw your leadership, you never used your voice, you never wrote that book.
And there they are standing around your bed looking at you with large angry eyes saying ‘we came to you, and only you could have given us life! Now we must die with you forever.’
The question is — if you die today, what ideas, what dreams, what abilities, what talents, what gifts, would die with you?”
I don’t think that when I’m going to be dying at age 156, I will think to myself: “God, I wish I had hire purchased MORE things.” However, memories and experience last forever.
2. No More Mr. Nice Guy by Robert A. Glover has nothing to do with you being an a**hole. It does, however, explain how to be an authentic human being and the best version of yourself.
People don’t really want the “Yes-man/woman” version of yourself. The truth is, they would enjoy getting to know the real you much more than you think. However, people don’t put out their real selves and instead use a front. Or they don’t ask for what they want. They choose not to have standards so that other people will like them.
If they stopped walking on eggshells for ONE SECOND, they would realize that all of the people they have been humoring at the expense of showing their real selves don’t really respect them. Then, they hold resentment for the injustice of them being nice (but fake) to everyone and nobody really liking them in return.
3. Churchill: A Life by Martin Gilbert. I cried at the end of this one. Spoiler: Churchill is dead.
My favorite quote of all time is:
Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
You start to really appreciate the significance of this quote when you read his life’s story. In short, his life really sucked. Everyone went against him so often that it’s a wonder how he never gave up. He served in South Africa, India, and fought in the trenches in World War I.
Needless to say, the aristocrats that ran parliament at the time did not always agree with his manner of saying his mind and not taking no for an answer. The hardships that he endured in terms of public ridicule and political failures are almost more difficult to read about than the battles he fought in.
He is truly a hero but was unappreciated at the time.
What are your hobbies?
Skydiving: Despite being afraid of most dogs (my biggest fear), I do not have a problem with strapping myself to a sheet of nylon and jumping out of a metal bird. By the way, your cheeks flap just like in the cartoons when you’re falling. I also have yet to shout “Geronimo” as I fall, now that we’re on the topic of cartoons.
Bungee jumping: this one is actually much scarier, for anyone that’s interested. It is because you can see the ground. When you jump into clouds it’s almost like you’re already in a very big pool of air and the fear doesn’t register the same.
Reading: sorry for the letdown. I don’t also free solo mountains or anything else. I do enjoy a good book, however. Mainly biographies.
Shit. I should have also mentioned writing but I thought that much was obvious.
How do you connect with your readers?
I am emotionally reticent and don’t connect with anyone.
Just kidding. I write with integrity and never compromise my inner voice. I try to bring the reader into an experience I honestly believe will be beneficial to them. I often cry and laugh at my own writing. I have had my writing complimented by best-selling authors, which has also made me cry with joy once.
I think if you really want to do something good for the people you’re writing for, it shows in your writing. Be it educational, humorous, or simply very bad attempts at poetry (not my cup of tea yet).
When you feel good when you write, I think the people who read it do as well, if it was written from the heart. I think that’s it.
Why did you join ILLUMINATION and how do you find it so far?
I joined ILLUMINATION because I have found that some of the best articles posted on Medium while I was sieving through it were by ILLUMINATION. The best content finds its way to the top — so, have the Medium Algorithm Gods decreed.
I also liked the idea of synergy and growth which ILLUMINATION writers wear as a badge of honor while writing pieces for the betterment of everyone.
How do I find it so far? Very positive. ILLUMINATION’S staff and editorial team have always said positive things about my work and I am very grateful to them for all the work which I now know gets done behind the scenes in order to get our articles out there.
Who are the top ten writers you follow on ILLUMINATION?
10 only? Okay, I will follow your advice.
Apologies to my other followers, it is not my fault.
Tree Langdon: scrolling through her profile is like walking through a gold-mine. You will leave a much RICHER writer. I especially enjoyed her article, Chicken Soup For The Soul Wants Your Stories.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz: when the leader of one of the FASTEST growing publications on Medium writes about leadership, you read it.
The Maverick Files: Dear sweet Lord, how I wish I was like The Maverick Files. I understand that he did not get where he is by luck but through hard work and dedication. Compared to him, I feel like a homeless person on the street holding up a sign that says, “I’d like some curations by Medium.” I also enjoy his crime pieces.
Britni Pepper: Although I question the spelling of her name, I do not question her ability as a writer (nor her knowledge of the French language). She once said my French sucks harder than a vacuum cleaner… but I enjoy her writing. I find particularly that her titles are irresistible.
Thewriteyard: She publishes and encourages my work, (not that the others don’t) and I always feel like if I need a pointer on how to write something better or any tips in the arena of writing, I’ll find them at The Write Yard.
Roz Warren: She is like the bubbly champagne of Medium. If I want to treat myself to some warm and fuzzy feelings inside, I read her comedy articles.
Alex🏳️🌈🇺🇸: My friend/ nemesis. He is currently recovering from Covid. Thoughts and prayers, people! (and wear masks and stuff in general)
Jazz Parks: If I mention you as one of my favorite writers, will you spill the beans on how I can make my articles go a little bit more viral? Just kidding. I look up to you man.
Mayank Pamnani: Otherwise known as “the man in the blue suit” since I could never remember his name when I started out on Medium and wanted to read more of his articles. He writes about entrepreneurship among many other topics.
Liam Ireland: When I want to get down and dirty with outrageous and oft hilarious stories, I knock on his metaphorical door.
What are your top five stories that you want to share with your audience and why?
If you want to know what distinguishes ILLUMINATION from other publications:
This is a story part of which I mentioned above in the article, so I felt it would be pertinent to link to the whole thing:
As it turns out, you can improve the readership of your articles by following a formula I stole from someone:
How to have a good psychological relationship with money:
Or how to simply turn crap into GOLD:
What are the success factors for you as a writer on Medium?
If by this you mean what makes me good at what I do… then I guess it would be that I try to pack as much value into an article (if it’s not an educational piece, then entertainment is the VALUE) as possible.
I don’t fluff.
I don’t write details when I feel it would just be for the purpose of running up the word count.
I put my reader first and foremost, as I learned and described in my article, My Mistake: NOT Writing For My Readers. I don’t write pieces purely for my own self-amusement anymore. I try to focus on what my readers want and bring value to their lives with my writing.
What do you recommend to the new writers on ILLUMINATION?
Read the ever-living crap out of what’s already there. Getting ideas aside, the material on ILLUMINATION is really good and you will get a feeling for what kind of quality pieces people are looking for. You will also get ENTERTAINMENT. I am not your teacher doling out homework.
I write for ILLUMINATION because I enjoy the types of articles it publishes. See if you fit. I promise you will find a very supportive community should you decide to join as a writer.
What are your plans as a writer?
In my experience, I have found that saying you will do things is worth diddly.
I will instead leave you with a quote by Winston Churchill.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Best of luck in ALL of your future endeavors and thank you for reading.
Thank you for your valuable time Sabana Grande.
I enjoy reading your great stories on ILLUMINATION. Your writing style is appealing and inspirational to me and many of our readers. I appreciate your excellent support to our publication, writers, and readers. It is a pleasure to chat with you on our Slack workplace which is like a warm virtual room.
You are gem on Medium to be discovered by many more readers soon. ILLUMINATION appreciates your contribution. Keep illuminating, you will shine
You can connect with Sabana on his Medium profile.
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Explore and connect with other engaging writers
You may also check other interviews I conducted with inspiring writers of ILLUMINATION recently. These stories can provide a great opportunity to know more about our creative writers and connect with them easily.
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Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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