ILLUMINATION Writers
Interview with Toni Koraza
Featuring creative writers of ILLUMINATION
The purpose of this story is to share an interview that I conducted with Toni Koraza.
Toni is a new writer on ILLUMINATION but not new to writing. He is a top writer on Medium specializing in several topics such as #Investing, #Entrepreneurship, #Finance, #Art, and #Writing.
I read several stories from Toni submitted to both ILLUMINATION and several other publications. His writing style is engaging, and the content of his stories is informative and insightful.
Majoring in Diplomacy as an entrepreneur and investor, Toni depicts an extensive understanding of financial markets and investment strategies.
Let’s explore the interesting background of this accomplished writer.
Tell us a bit about your background, Toni.
Hi there! I’m Toni, a Croatian-Italian internet entrepreneur/investor (kind-of). I’m having trouble answering questions like ‘what are you doing,’ as you might see.
I’m a Diplomacy major, and I have previous experience working for higher offices, ambassadors, ministers, first secretaries, and such. Since 2011, I’ve been living and working in 20+ countries, but not always in full capacity.
I discovered writing in 2018, during summer in Los Angeles. I was living and working in Hollywood, and it was hard not to be inspired by the Sunset Blv, Hollywood Bowl, Chinese Theater, and the creative energy in the air. My first Medium post is from that time.
2020 made me into an International refugee of sorts. I was working for National Geographic Learning in China while juggling a startup project. February was a hard month. We lived through a full lock-down. Hazmat suits and street barricades were the new normal earlier this year.
I decided to move to London in March. I crafted a plan to live in England during winter, and take five months-long summer holidays to Spain. But that plan was obviously flawed, and I ended back at the starting point, in Croatia. It took me nine flights and five countries to end back home.
I’m hopefully going back to London in September.
Why do you write on Medium?
Community and knowledge. I love the people and the shared life truths you can find here. Medium membership is the best thing five bucks can buy on this planet, except ice-cream maybe.
From a personal perspective, I love learning about global developments. Most of my writing comes from researching a subject and writing about it. I’m learning as I write, and then I share everything I know.
What are your values as a writer?
● Compassion — If I had to single out one value.
● Sharing knowledge: Sharing is caring
● Reliability: I’m showing up every day
● Commitment
● Cosmopolitanism
What are the top three books that affected your life?
It’s hard to single out just three. Here goes nothing.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
This is the most powerful book I’ve ever read. Victor was a psychotherapist that survived Auschwitz and other infamous Nazi concentration camps.
Let Me Tell You a Story by Jorge Bucay
This is a wonderful book that will make you question your prejudice.
Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker
This book changes the way you see the world and read media.
What are your hobbies?
Content creation and writing: but I find it to be more than a hobby, but less than professional employment. I can’t call myself a writer or an author, even though I have written two novels in the past two years. But I participate in various writing projects, and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.
● I’d say reading, but that’s what everybody does.
● Then exercise, even though it should be a part of a healthy daily routine.
● Traveling? I love to travel and meet new people and cultures.
How do you connect with your readers?
By offering value for the audience and staying compassionate. I’m trying to pass on my research and personal experience to better the community and everyone that wants to read my stuff.
Then, I try to stay humble and generous. I’m giving 99% of my work for free. Nature has a funny way of repaying things. If you offer something that truly helps others, they tend to give back. Biology calls it reciprocity.
In technical terms, you can find me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
Why did you join ILLUMINATION, and how do you find it so far?
I still remember being tagged in the first story announcing the publication. It was super cool to read about such a positive project.
Right now, the best thing is the effectiveness of ILLUMINATION editors, and the number of backlinks you get to your story from Dr Mehmet Yildiz.
ILLUMINATION is bridging the gap between professional and upcoming writers. We can all share bread under the same publication roof, which works wonderfully for both parties. Professional readers can connect with their audience better, while upcoming stars can learn from the professionals.
Who are the top ten writers you follow on ILLUMINATION?
There are many writers that I follow but if I have to limit to ten, here is my list:
- Sinem Günel
- Nicole Akers
- Dr Mehmet Yildiz
- Diane Overcash
- Agnes Louis
- John Ross
- Erin King
- Timothy Key
- Rick Dobson
- Sherry McGuinn
What are your top five stories that you want to share with your audience, and why?
Medium marketing tool that brings the writing community together.
How often should you post on Medium — a case study.
How to turbocharge your content production with dictation.
You can’t rely on CoSchedule to choose your next headline, here’s a real plan.
Household chores hold the key to leadership and a happy family.
What are the success factors for you as a writer on Medium?
Relationships!
Medium gives you an excellent opportunity to connect to your audience and other writers.
And the ultimate success on Medium are relationships that can follow you through your writing journey.
What do you recommend to the new writers on ILLUMINATION?
● Don’t write just for yourself. Write for others too.
● Don’t be generic. If you don’t know how to be yourself, be different at first.
What are your future plans as a writer?
That’s a tough question.
I’d love to edit my next novel this summer.
I’m about to open my personal blog at tonikoraza.com/koraza.blog.
Maybe a Substack Newsletter too.
I’m writing every day, and hopefully, we’re setting up a 2 Minute Madness media app soon. I’m taking it day by day and letting myself enjoy the process.
Thank you for your valuable time Toni Koraza.
I enjoy reading your insightful stories on ILLUMINATION and other publications. Your writing style, your informative messages, and your choice of content are appealing, uplifting, and inspirational to our readers.
Your meaningful engagement with other writers and your readers are noticeable. I appreciate your support to our publication, writers, and readers. Our new readers will discover your insightful stories. You are a source of inspiration to our writers and readers.
If you ask me, as an editor, to choose a single article from Toni that can appeal to anyone, I’d recommend this fantastic story providing insights to friendship from an informed perspective.
You can follow Toni and discover more interesting stories from his Medium profile. You may be amazed by the richness of content in his remarkable stories.
If you are a writer on ILLUMINATION and would like to be interviewed, please send a request via this link with title of “Interview Request”.
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.
These reputable writers are gems of ILLUMINATION!
You can find inspiring profiles of ILLUMINATION writers from this story.
Meet our top writers!
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You might check more interviews in the attached collection.
You can find inspiring profiles of ILLUMINATION writers from this story.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
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. A small part of your membership fee will not only support my writing but your reading times can support many great writers on this platform.
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In addition to 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.