MEDIUM PUBLICATIONS BY ILLUMINATION WRITERS

Introduction to “Can You Bare It?”

A publication by Liv Mello

“Can you Bare It?” is a safe platform for confessing and reveling in our most painful, hilarious, terrifying, and cathartic moments of liberation. Think heart-stoppin’, cherry-poppin’, first open-mic, sky-dive, coming out, falling down, broken heart, solo-travel, big confession, confronting your dick of a boss to teach him a lesson, karate-kicking fear in its smug little face.

Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage. It is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.

— Brené Brown

We all have that one story we’re afraid to tell because it’s too embarrassing, revealing, trivial, offensive, or provocative. Whatever you think it is, you’re wrong. I’ll tell you what your story actually is. It’s a minuscule, massive, meaningless, magnificent moment in time that made you feel human.

The very fact that your heart races at the thought of telling this story is the very reason you need to tell it. This memory holds weight, and weight manifests into emotional baggage, which inevitably impacts the way we perceive, navigate, and interact with the world around us. When we reflect upon our moments of (what we often consider) weakness, we begin to evaluate our fears and temptations and dissect our reactions to these natural emotions. That is the only way to understand the inner workings of our behavior and emotional responses.

Vulnerability plants a seed inside us. Sharing our experiences through verbal or written stories germinates that seed and allows us to grow. When we hold these secrets inside, they change shape, often morphing into monsters of fear, depression, anxiety, pride, and shame that cause us to judge and outcast ourselves. I, for one, spent years holding guilt for something I realize now is very normal. It took telling one person my story to realize I wasn’t crazy, or evil, or alone. There’s no better relief than finding someone who can relate.

And that’s the point of this publication; to connect on a deeper level, which I think we need now more than ever before.

Submission Guidelines

I’m not looking for research-based, how-to articles, or even advice pieces. There are plenty of platforms for that here on Medium. I want this publication to read like we’ve pulled the best pages from hundreds of diaries. Yours included. With that said, your story should have a takeaway. What can the reader learn from your experience?

I will accept stories at any length but I’d prefer them to be at least five minutes of reading time. A length requirement is more beneficial for you than me or the readers. This is your opportunity to really dive deep and turn a scary memory into a life-changing moment. Developing the story and analyzing it from all angles should help you decipher how it has impacted and changed you and your path.

I prefer first-person, first-hand accounts (written like a journal entry) but who the hell am I kidding? I’ll accept almost anything out of excitement that you want to contribute. So, if poetry is your strong suit, write a poem! As long as it’s in first-person and follows the theme, you’re golden.

Your story can be humorous, emotional, intimate, awkward, overcoming, overwhelming, or all of the above, as long as it’s genuine. I will gladly (as in ecstatically) accept multiple stories from the same writer.

Interested but not sure where to begin?

If you want to contribute but you’ve racked your brain for a story to no avail, the prompt below should help get your gears turning.

If you have a story but you don't know how to turn it into a memoir, I’d be happy to help build an outline. You can email me with story ideas and drafts at [email protected], or just introduce yourself and say what’s up!

When you view and (hopefully) follow the publication, you’ll notice that it’s pretty dang empty. This baby is BRAND NEW, which means you could be one of the first writers featured! I’m working on a few more stories of my own but I’d be happy to publish yours before I continue publishing my own.

Submitting your story is a simple two-step process.

Step 1. Request to be a writer of the publication.

You can send your writer request by leaving a comment on this article below or sending an email to [email protected].

If you have an idea you’d like to run by me first or want to bounce thoughts off each other before you dive in, give me a shout! Once we catch up, I’ll add you as a writer of the publication. This will allow you to follow step two.

Step 2. Submit your final, unpublished draft through the Medium editor.

Once you’ve finished writing and editing your story, click “Add to Publication.” This will give me access to the story and allow me to publish it on the platform once it’s ready.

I want our stories to be engaging and well-written, so I’ll fix any grammatical or spelling errors. If I think anything could be stronger, I’ll let you know. I promise to be open-minded and gentle with my critiques.

Once your story is perfect — and trust me, it will be — we’ll hit publish and set it free for the world to see and read and feel and rave about.

Submitting old, self-published articles

Have you self-published a story on Medium that you think might be a good fit for the publication? It’s not too late. You can easily submit your article to a publication long after it’s been published. Once you’ve been added as a writer for the publication, simply go to your “Stories” and click on the “Published” tab. Find the article and click “Edit Story.” Once you’re in the editor, you can follow the same instructions outlined in the GIF above. If the story is already published in another publication but hasn’t performed well, you can even “Remove story from publication” and then re-submit it to “Can You Bare It?”

I’m so excited you’re interested in this new publication and I hope you’ll consider contributing to the publication. If nothing else, give it a follow so you can read everyone else’s most intimate and personal experiences while quietly judging us from a reasonable distance (of fear) away.

Comfort is the killer of creativity — David Choe