Letter of Gratitude to Dr. Mehmet Yildiz and Illumination-Curated
You’re making a difference, Sir; I thought you should know
Dear Dr. Yildiz,
Things are tough out here, but your consistent efforts are appreciated, and it’s made a difference. It’s common to see articles about things that aren’t going well on Medium, but this isn’t one of them.
Yesterday morning when my email notification chimed once again, and you mentioned me in your Editorial Spotlight #3, I knew it was time to express the appreciation I’ve been feeling for the past month or more.
I’ve been working from home for a while now and refer to myself as a Solopreneur because it’s lonely out here trying to make something of yourself online.
Writing is a very solitary experience, so when I found the community of writers and readers on Medium, I was excited to dive headfirst into the platform to figure out how it worked.
I devoured guidelines and rules over buckets of coffee until my eyes crossed. Eventually, I found my groove and started to self-publish, but my stories would peak for a day or two and die off.
Feeling discouraged, I tried to conform, moulding my articles to meet different publication guidelines, and that’s when I understood how subjective the process is. It wasn’t long before I found my creativity stifled in pursuit of the almighty buck.
You slave over a story, fight the fearful voices in your head as you hit publish, and hold your breath until some stranger accepts or rejects your work, only to make $1.59. As the green bars chart your destiny, you start all over again without so much as a pat on the back.
It’s hard.
Many aspiring writers on the platform are here to find their voices and express themselves, so I know I’m not alone in this struggle.
I’ve been held back and stifled my entire life in personal relationships and by Corporate America, so my tolerance for it is near zero. Writing, for me, is cathartic and all about being authentic.
That’s where my head was when I discovered a different publication.
Enter Illumination, Illumination Curated and Dr. Mehmet Yildiz.
As I scoured Medium for success tips and help from top writers, I read many interesting and diverse stories by Illumination writers. Curious, I checked out the publication and was intrigued by its philosophy.
ILLUMINATION is a unique publication with 5,000+ writers and 42,000+ readers growing rapidly on Medium. We are delighted to add new writers bringing different perspectives each day. We embrace diversity, value our writers, and help them find their writing voice in a collaborative platform. You are welcome to join our diverse team and engage in a Slack channel. We value diversity, freshness, originality, and authenticity from new voices. We strive to empower our writers and support our readers.
During my research, I also stumbled upon articles that suggested Illumination will publish everything and anything, meaning if they accept your story, it’s not nearly as impressive as getting accepted by a more discerning publication.
That got me thinking.
If they publish anything, regardless of the quality, I won’t improve my writing skills or grow as a writer. It’s giving me false hope, and maybe other publications will take me less seriously if I’m published in Illumination.
Well, I was wrong.
Having my work consistently accepted by Dr. Yildiz and his editors has changed more than my perspective. It gave me hope that someone else cared about us little guys trying to make it.
When Illumination-Curated was born, it gave me more to strive for.
I work harder to meet all their curation guidelines and tighten up pieces by improving my writing skills. I no longer worry about being rejected due to subjectivity or the editors' opinions.
But there’s more.
My creativity can breathe again. I feel supported, and I have help promoting my work to avid readers. That makes me want to write more, and the more I write, the faster my skills improve, leaving me excited to come up with my next story.
I feel appreciated and less concerned when I hit publish.
Now I don’t have to wait six days or two weeks for a rejection note that deflates me and sometimes makes me angry because I’m pretty sure Dr. Yildiz and his group of editors don’t sleep. Our stories are published quickly and promoted and promoted and promoted — every single day.
His publication works just as hard to promote its writers by teaching us how to develop our biographies and story collections to develop our work further.
After reading all the negativity surrounding Medium's changes in September, I was worried I’d found myself at yet another dead end.
But with your support, obvious goodwill and understanding of what an aspiring writer needs to get out of the gate, I have hope again.
So thank you, Sir; your consistent dedication has empowered another writer to be better, work harder, and believe in her craft.
I appreciate everything you and your team do for me.
Here’s my viral story on Illumination-Curated…
I’m Liz, the self-empowered, red wine & coffee lovin’, personal growth fanatic behind this article. I’ve stopped shrinking into places I’ve outgrown, and I’m a fan of straight talk and practical solutions. That’s why I’m here to Empower, Educate and Entertain.
