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LinkBack, Curation, and Growing Pains

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Nurturing our growth and success is up to every one of us.

I’m writing a series of feature articles to discuss and illustrate the innovative ways we are collaborating on Illumination.

To keep it interesting, I’ll shine a light on solutions to some of your difficulties and answer any questions that come to me each day.

I’ll also share one of the many ways I have discovered to connect with fellow writers and readers.

Well hello there.

In case we’ve never met, I’m Tree Langdon, an editor here at Illumination. I’m continuously inspired by the talented writers I’ve met here. I’d like to get to know you too.

Create a Project of your own.

In a past bulletin, I proposed a few steps to create a project on Illumination.

Getting started is sometimes the most difficult step.

Let’s do it together.

Step 1 -Settle on an idea.

This is where many people get stuck.

Here’s a suggestion that will spark an idea:

Brainstorm. Get a piece of paper and a pen, and find somewhere you won’t be distracted. At the top of the page, write the words “I am Passionate About”. Now set a timer and list at least 20 things that come to mind. Don’t hesitate and don’t think it through. Just write.

Here’s my list: Climate change, Gaia, Building Relationships, Teaching, Getting Water to Communities in the North, Being on the Water, Kayaking, My Kids, Gardening, Horticulture, Growing Food, Biking, Being Sober, Travel, Cultural Experiences, Cooking, Meditation, Brene Brown, Allowance, Love, Spirituality, Writing, Painting, Creating Art, Tolerance, Puzzles, Science, Nature.

You can see there are similarities in some of the topics. Gardening, Gaia, Nature, Growing Food. Each of these topics interests me but I want to inspire people to take a concrete step, so I think I’ll choose: Growing Food.

Step 2 Come up with a name.

I want to focus on small garden plots with an emphasis on balcony gardens so I’d like the name of my project to reflect that.

Here are some contenders:

Growing Pains, Urban Gardens, Food in the City, Small Plot Gardens, Feed the City, Feed the Planet.

Here’s where you come in.

I want your feedback. Choose one of these names for the Project or suggest one of your own. I’m happy to entertain all suggestions.

Connect by commenting on this post, find me on Slack at @treelangdon, or email me at [email protected]. Let’s do this!

I look forward to starting this project together.

Let’s make a difference using collaboration.

The key to a meaningful conversation includes both speaking and listening.

A meaningful conversation between writers includes reading, responding, sharing and appreciation.

Keep on reading to see how you can have that conversation, but first, let’s explore your questions about writing on Medium.

Answers to your Burning How-to Questions

This is your opportunity. Add your question as a comment here and I’ll be happy to answer it. Do you have a terrific tip for our writers? Add it in the comments!

When I first started writing on Medium I struggled with the platform. It wasn’t as intuitive as a Word document. It took me a while to figure out how to make it work for me and I’m still learning.

Let’s share our experiences and learn from each other.

How Do I Get Curated?

Is Curation the Holy Grail of Medium?

It depends on who you ask.

Sure, a curated article is recommended to readers across the Medium homepage, app, topic page, and emails. That increased exposure can result in more reads, but that’s not guaranteed.

The real goal, in my mind, is presenting an irresistible post.

You know which ones I mean. An irresistible post is one that begs to be clicked. It presents the perfect combination of an enticing image and title. It’s seductive.

You are compelled to find out more.

The irresistible post is like a portal to another world. You know there’s a treasure inside if you dare to open it.

When the reader steps into your story, be ready to present them with a well-written, engaging post. Don’t disappoint them.

In a nutshell, write quality articles and pay attention to tags, kickers, format, and Medium curation rules.

If you write an irresistible post that meets your readers’ expectations and you’re lucky enough to have the curation stars align, you’ve succeeded.

Here are some stories that were successfully curated and distributed to topics in Medium. It’s an excellent resource to study if you are interested in being curated.

Here’s my take on curation from when I was a new writer.

Our team of editors and writers are ready and willing to assist you with any questions or problems you may be experiencing. Just ask!

Writers Connect to Build Engagement!

As a lifelong learner, I gather new ideas by observing how other writers engage with their readers. In this section of my bulletin, I will share what I have learned.

Sometimes we can make a connection with other artists.

The free images on Pixabay always make my posts more appealing to readers and I appreciate them so much. I’m always careful to caption and credit the artist.

I confess I’ve had a bit of trouble linking the image back to them in the past. I eventually figured it out.

Here’s how I link an image to the photographer on Pixabay.

So tricky. There are lots of steps to credit the photographer when you’re downloading an image to use. Adding that link-back is something that I didn’t know how to do until recently.

First, I search for the right image on Pixabay.

When I decide to download an image file, I save it in a special folder I’ve created to hold all the images I’ve chosen in the past.

I don’t just save the default image name, I quickly add the photographer's name as well and then save. If I ever need to use that image again, I have their name so I can properly credit them.

I go back to my post and as I upload the file, I copy the filename, complete with the artists’ name.

I paste that copied info in the line below the image.

Now for the link back.

Go back to the Pixabay image, which you’ve kept open in another tab.

Click on the “Copy” button to copy the link back. See below. (Ignore the red arrow.)

In Medium, click the photo so it has that little green band all around it.

Press Ctrl K, and you will see a little box open up.

Paste the link you copied into the little box. That’s a great way to say thanks to the image author.

More on connecting:

If you test this idea for yourself, tag me, Tree Langdon ♾️, and let me know how it worked for you.

Today’s Challenge- Name this Project

I’m walking through the steps of creating a project and have selected GROWING FOOD as an idea.

Now we need a name. Here are some suggestions.

Growing Pains, Urban Gardens, Food in the City, Small Plot Gardens, Feed the City, Feed the Planet.

It’s your chance to shine.

I want your feedback. Choose one of these names for the Project or suggest one of your own. I’m happy to entertain all suggestions.

Connect by commenting on this post, find me on Slack at @treelangdon, or email me at [email protected]. Let’s do this!

I look forward to starting this project with all of you.

Let’s make a difference using collaboration.

It’s a win win — you support this project, we help others feed themselves and we support you.

If you want to catch up on previous bulletins, here they are:

Greetings to a few of our newer writers and some who have been here for a bit longer. I hope you found something interesting in this article. Jump in and start a conversation.

It’s the best way to connect and the connection is how you increase engagement.

Dr. John Rose, Alison Tennent, Earnest Painter, B. A. Cumberlidge., Timothy Key, Desiree Driesenaar, Claire Michaeljohn, QuadConjures, Infiniti,

Eli Snow, Daniel G. Clark, Eashan Reddy Kotha, Paroma Sen, Keno Ogbo, James G Brennan Uchechi Obasi, Timothy Key, Holly Jahangiri, Joe Luca, Charlotte Zobeir Ali, Kathryn A. LeRoy, Ph.D. Earnest Painter, Eeva Metssalu,

I’m tagging you because you have shown an interest in creating a project to highlight your passion, or you are already involved in one. Please let me know if you’d like your name removed.

Rebecca Cullen, Debbie Miller, Whitney Rose, Preeti Chandak, Sandeep Warhadkar, Don Feazelle, Nancy Wise MSc., Bernard Wayne, Curiosity Corner, Zahin Roja, Kainatgul, Rusali Adhikari, Jennifer Haubrich, Ibukun Faleye, Anam Khan, Japjit Singh, Alex Bird, Arundhati Thakur, Sharin Alisya, Delta B. McKenzie, Carol Shamon, Kathleen Hall, Aryan Gandhi, Natasha Wibbs, Ryan Li, Dollbird, John Joseph Wong, Stella Brüggen, Michael Kennedy, Kenneth Silvestri, YUSUF KRANDA, kabir, Utkarsh Singh

Collaboration is a two way street. Join the conversation and be a part of this meaningful change.

I hope you found something useful in this article. If you’re not already a Medium member, Join us here.

If you are a member, please share this story so more people can benefit from these wise words.