ILLUMINATION Writers

Interview with Timothy Key

Featuring creative writers of ILLUMINATION

Purpose of the Story

In this story, I share an interview that I conducted with Timothy Key. I chat with Timothy on our Slack channel almost every day as he is one of our editors contributing to the sustainability and growth of our publication.

Timothy is a process-oriented editor and always brings new ideas to create order from chaos. In addition, I enjoy every story Timothy writes because his stories are engaging, informative, humorous, and sometimes really thought-provoking.

I am grateful that Timothy accepted my offer to participate in this interview. Let’s explore!

Tell us a bit about your background, Timothy.

After being born in Texas and having only 6 months to get acclimated I was swept off to the suburbs north of Seattle Washington and have pretty much been here since; the only exception being an 18-month stint in the Army Reserves getting trained up to be a Russian Interrogator. It was the Cold War days.

I came back from training, dabbled in a few community college classes and started a career as a commercial electrician. My wife at the time and I bought our first house right down the road from a fire station. One day they hung out a sign that said, “firefighters needed”, and the rest is pretty much history.

I spent 26 years total in the fire service and retired as an assistant chief after serving a year-long stint as interim fire chief. After, I spent a year toying with the idea of getting another fire chief or emergency management job, but ultimately came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t be happy doing that.

Now my wife and I are shaking out plans for her to quit her “regular” job as well, and we plan to hit the road and adopt a more semi-nomadic lifestyle towards the end of 2021. Ideally, we will alternate between our vacation home in Gulf Shores, AL and someplace yet to be determined in Mexico — although the front runner at this point is Puerto Vallarta. In between those locations there is a whole lot of the world to see, and we hope to make a bid at doing just that.

Why do you write on Medium?

It seems a bit silly now, but at one point I viewed it as intimidating and something of a challenge or point of pride to actually write something and publish it on Medium. Once I cleared the initially hurdle of simply writing something, then the next bit was to write consistently, then it just progressed from there.

To me Medium offers me two interconnected but different opportunities. On the tangible side, it offers the ability to assemble a following and build an on-site “brand” that might allow me to make some money at some point.

If I can get established enough to make a few hundred dollars by producing 15 articles a month it would be a fantastic quasi-passive income source in that I don’t have to do anything but write — Medium essentially does the rest. It also brings me some potential off-site following through social media and an email list, although I am still wondering about the actual value of said list.

The other less tangible piece is that it allows me to build experience as a writer and dabble some in marketing; all while learning a great deal from others around me on the platform. Truly nothing beats experience and writing is no different.

Aside from technical and scholarly writing I don’t have a whole lot of experience. One of the marvelous things about Medium is that it allows you to explore so many different genres and styles without compromising “who you are” as a writer. It is a playground of sorts. That is a lot of why I write here.

What are your values as a writer?

Compassion, grace and gratitude are in my footer bio and I believe those transcend all aspects of my life, including writing. Germane mostly to writing, though are expression, collaboration and diversity.

I embrace exploring and learning and want to experience diverse viewpoints and perspectives. I also believe strongly in community and collaboration. In writing, as in so many other things, we tend to do so much better when we realize that we really aren’t competing, but rather collaborating. I see expression and writing as a way to battle close-mindedness.

What are the top three books that affected your life?

This is one of those questions that really doesn’t have a good answer. Which three breaths, or which three heartbeats were most important to you? However, in my youth Watership Down by Richard Adams left a long-lasting impression on how I view the world after many readings of my dog-eared paperback copy.

Being public school educated for me meant that I slipped through the cracks somehow on ever being mandated to read “classic literature”. That was fine though because I was busy devouring the entire science fiction and fantasy genre in mass quantities. In my early adult life, I realized I hadn’t read any of the “classics”, so I started in on Hemingway, Salinger, and Fitzgerald. And then I found John Steinbeck and was thoroughly entranced by The Grapes of Wrath.

That book fascinated me to no end, and after I read everything else he ever wrote, I went back to Grapes and read it again and again. I am not sure what it was, the story or style or something else that captivated me, but that one left an indelible impression as well.

So, for a third? I am going to have to go with three series that all resonated deeply with me. The first is the Larry McMurtry series that follows protagonist Duane Moore through The Last Picture Show to Texasville, through Duane’s Depressed and When the Light Goes. Then there is the John Updike series that follows Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom through the cycles of his life as well. And finally, Armistead Maupin’s 13 book series Tales of the City.

There is just something about a story arc that follows all the ups and downs, heartaches, triumphs, tragedies and joys small and large that make up an entire life. So, I managed to whittle down the question to a mere 24 books. Pretty good, huh?

What are your hobbies?

You mean the things I don’t do anymore because of sheltering in place? Snowboarding, indoor soccer and yoga. Oh, and traveling.

So, for now it is writing and binge television. We just finished the Vikings series and moved on to season two of Dead to Me.

How do you connect with your readers?

At this point Medium is really my only collection of readers. So, communication and connection are concentrated on that platform and the off-site interaction on Slack and social media with other writers.

I look at the Medium story as a great way to connect with readers. While the ability to comment has some utility, I think one of the slightly more subtle but way more effective ways to communicate is through the stories. Comments tend to be more pointed, but if you really want to be expressive, then a story that builds off of, or answers questions posed by someone else’s writing can be very powerful.

I try to use that as a tool to create an extended dialogue with my readers.

Why did you join ILLUMINATION and how do you find it so far?

To be honest, Illumination came on the radar just as I was wondering about how effective it was to engage with many of the larger publications. I was putting stuff in the Ascent and Startup that seemed to only get buried.

Because of that I was hunting for smaller or mid-size publications that were active and engaged. That is what you promised with Illumination in your initial invitation and I thought it was serendipitous timing. I couldn’t not join.

Interesting for me also was that I initially told you that I wanted to be a writer. That note somehow got lost in the fray and I wasn’t added. The invitation was extended to find writers and editors, and as I watched the intensity and cohesiveness of even those first few days of Illumination’s existence it changed my mind, and when I reached out to be added the second time I asked if I could be an editor, and you obliged.

I have said it a few other times in other stories, but I think Illumination has no match on the Medium platform. Nothing else is even close to being as inclusive and supportive. It is pretty amazing. I am very happy to be involved.

Who are the top ten writers you follow on ILLUMINATION?

One of the very first people I read on the publication was Kevin Buddaeus. Just when I think I have Kevin figured out in terms of writing style or content he comes at us with a new twist. Not only that, but he has been an unknowing muse to me several times as something he has mentioned is a story sparked an idea for me.

P.G. Barnett is the gentleman cowboy that I kind of secretly want to be but never admitted to anyone, and I think it is really cool that he collaborates on some of his writing with his wife. Charles Roast is writer that uses a façade of really funny writing to cover a deep well of being a human that he only lets us glimpse on occasion, but when he does, hold on because it is raw and honest and intense.

Britni Pepper probably doesn’t know this, but she impacted me in a profoundly positive way a day after I started writing on the platform. I have been a fan of her since and am glad she joined the publication. Likewise, I have followed Kristi Keller for a long time and enjoyed her insights before and now on Illumination.

I find Rasheed Hooda to be inspiring both because I want to emulate his approach to life and appreciate the insight he finds from everyday happenings.

Holly Jahangiri is smarter than any 10 of us collectively put together and I learn something every time I interact with her. Chris Hedges is a master of all search engines and I love the expansive topics she writes about. Julia E Hubbel also tells it like it is and has stories that pull you in and have you wanting more.

Bill Abbate’s business insight is exceptional, as is Paul Myers MBA and Paul’s formatting and interconnectedness of his stories is enviable. I want to be like him, but I am not sure I want to do all the work that must take.

There are many more, I don’t want to leave anyone out, but I have taken up a bunch of article real estate already so maybe just some new faces that jumped out at me in the last few days and I plan to read much more of: Alan Miles, Katie Dopson, Janet Low, Stephen T. Harper, Alon Metzger.

What are your top five stories that you want to share with your audience and why?

You always remember your first. Same is true here for me. This is the story that built up enough inner momentum and passion that I was able to write it down and finally hit publish after months of thinking about writing on Medium, but not ever doing it:

I then had to write about why I left the fire service. This one still has a special place in my heart as well:

Then the final job search event that allowed me to accept that the universe is telling me that I shouldn’t be doing the “9–5” anymore:

Those three, among others, were stories that had to come out and still hold a little piece of me inside them. After purging my soul with those, I was able to shift to having a bit more fun and recently have been bouncing around doing pretty much whatever I please. Which is freeing.

I had fun writing a poem:

And I had fun writing about how easily I can get happily sidetracked into topics or ideas that others provide for me whether intended or not:

What are the success factors for you as a writer on Medium?

My measure of success on Medium is being active and engaged. I have some milestones in mind like breaking the $100 monthly earning ceiling (perhaps this month?) and eclipsing 2,500 followers (still quite a way off), but those are just markers of movement.

As long as I am moving forward in terms of simply writing on a regular basis and engaging with others then I feel that things like earning money and gaining followers, reads, fans etc. will come organically.

I decided to stop looking at my stats for the month of May and it has been really refreshing. It was a bit difficult at first because I had normalized tracking my stats and was used to living on the boost of seeing new followers and reads. Now I ignore that and just engage. I feel just as fulfilled, and perhaps even more so, because I am not looking at stats all the time.

What do you recommend to the new writers on ILLUMINATION?

Jump in with both feet and splash around. I have likened Medium to a playground and Illumination to a gym (I snuck that 6th story right by you didn’t I?) My advice is to explore and try everything out. Ask questions of others directly and in your writing. Invite interaction and engagement. Give in order to get.

Those are the approaches and philosophies that have helped me get the most out of the publication. Sometimes it can be hard to just write. Reading, engaging and interacting will provide you with surprising inspiration and motivation to write your best stuff.

What are your plans as a writer?

As mentioned, we plan to pull up stakes and go nomad in about 18 months. I plan to have writing bring some sort of income in to help fund our lifestyle. Right now, I am allowing that the exact details of how that happens don’t have to be in place.

Perhaps Medium will be able to work for me in that capacity, and I hope so because I like Medium. However, if that isn’t the case, the foundations I build now with my writing will allow for me to have many more options for monetizing it in the future.

I have gone back and forth on writing books. I am keeping that a strong maybe for now. We shall see.

Thank you for your valuable time, Timothy. I look forward to working with you to further grow our publication and reading more stories from your creative pen. Your contribution to our publication is invaluable and is greatly appreciated by our writers and readers. You are an inspiration to us on ILLUMINATION.

You can also check writer and editor bios of Timothy.

Our new writers love this informative article written by Timothy. It is a reference article in our FAQ.

And Timothy cordially invites you to become a writer for ILLUMINATION. He knows what he is talking about.

If you read Timothy’s article on Slack, you will never be afraid of joining our Slack! He really made it crystal clear for newbies.

Timothy is such a caring and compassionate editor that he even created a story welcoming our new writers.

If you are a writer on ILLUMINATION and would like to be interviewed, please send a request via this link with the title of “Interview Request”.

Other Interviews

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.

Desiree Driesenaar

Holly Jahangiri

Ming Qian

P.G. Barnett

Jill Ebstein

Bill Abbate

Terry Mansfield

Woei T

Kevin Buddaeus

You might check more interviews in the attached collection.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

Besides self-improvement, leadership, technology, and health, I also enjoy writing about essential molecules such as lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, CoQ10, NADH, TMG, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, and other nutrients for health and fitness.

About the Author

Thank you for subscribing to my content. I share my health and well-being stories in my publication, Euphoria. If you are new to Medium, you may join by following this link. You may also join my publications as a writer requesting access via this weblink. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis. I share important life lessons from people in my professional and social circles.