Look What Aiden Found Today — Episode #20 [Boxing Day Special — 1]
Favorite stories I read plus community-nominated pieces tailored for avid readers of ILLUMINATION Publications on Medium
Welcome to part one of my Boxing Day Special #1! There is a story behind this numbering. On this Australian public holiday, I skipped work and spent 8 hours curating stories. Out of over a million story, I managed to gather around 250 of them! I reached out to Dr. Yildiz (Chief Editor) to publish it as one big story for a bit of fun, but he shot that idea down instantly. His advice was to split it into two one for ILLUMINATION and another one for ILLUMINATION-CURATED. So, my Boxing Day special, comes in two parts. Check out both #20 and #21 for some incredible stories stumbled upon today. But There is only one list to share.
Guess what’s party-worthy today for poor writers like me?
My thrilling 4-minute article on the impending Counter Strike changes scored a whopping 2 readers from my fan base of 11,500, hauling in a jaw-dropping 4 cents! Woo-hoo! Who knew the fast track to a six-figure income involved decimal points and spare change?
And the silver lining? Each esteemed reader is raking in a grand total of 2 cents, proving that reading my story isn’t just enriching your mind, it’s also padding your pocket with those glorious, two-penny treasures! As a bonus, my Medium Friends seem to have staged a protest against my story — talk about exclusive content! Here’s to making it rain… cents! Here is my hilarious story if you need a bit of laughter today. It is not as bad as the Vocal one, though.
Talking of holidays, Dr Yildiz posted an important article curating an exceptional story written by Seda Anbarcı. You may check this post to understand the importance of Seda’s article. Understanding the Flip Side of Chrismas to Enjoy This Special Day for Those Who Celebrate It
I’m not the lone workaholic around here. Our chief editor donned the administrator hat and dedicated hours to welcoming new writers, crafting a special onboarding pack to ignite that creative spark. The post is a goldmine, so I’d recommend even seasoned writers to look at it. There is something for everyone in this treasure trove. A Special Welcome to New Writers on Christmas Day from the Chief Editor
Did you know that kids don’t want new games for Christmas anymore? They want something else, and I revealed it in this juicy story. Kids Don’t Want New Games for Christmas Anymore
Today was another blast! I wrote a juicy gaming article about Counter-Strike. It is about the changes the Valve is making to a few features of two games, CS:GO and CS2. I believe gamers will find it interesting. Big Changes Incoming for Counter-Strike Players
Quick Updates for Highlights of Our Pubs
ILLUMINATION-Curators introduced some recently boosted stories. I believe you will find some great stories in that collection. Collection of Boosted Stories from ILLUMINATION Publications — V2
By upgrading his main profile, Dr Yildiz inspired our readers to become Medium Friends. I hope many readers join this inspiring journey. Celebrating My Reading Anniversary with My Upgraded Subscription to New Medium Friendship
Boost Education:
I’ve launched a new series to help writers hit the literary stratosphere. Dr. Yildiz got the grand opening gig because I’ve got the scoop on his stellar stories. Now that I’m peeking behind the scenes as an editor and boost nominator, I’m trying to put as many writers in the spotlight as possible. Your thoughts on the story would be cosmic — let’s team up and make these tales shine like stars! I will do it for every boosted writer as soon as I get a chance. Here is Episode 2 introducing boosted stories of Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D. Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories — Episode #2 and Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories — Episode #1. You can learn more about Matt’s background from this interview. An Interview with Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Recently, I added several new writers. I look forward to seeing their stories in these collections soon. You can meet them from the attached post. I also added their profiles at the end of this post so you can follow them easily if you want to. I will add more writers later today. There are many applicants. Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #28 and #27
For new readers and writers, I have also joined the ranks as a Friend of Medium (FoM). From now on, stories I read from other writers will earn them four times the previous ones. Details are in the attached story. I Took the Plunge and Became a Friend of Medium (FoM) Yesterday.
Dr Yildiz also wrote about it to invite our readers to become Medium Friends and support our writers. The more FoMs the merrier. Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
But scammers spammed his beautiful story and tried to deceive our readers. Here’s his sad and important story: every writer and reader needs to understand and act cautiously. They act too realistically! Scam and Spam Accounts on Medium Are As Bad As Hate Speech and Defamation for Writers
They did the same thing to me. For those who missed the excitement, two days ago, I was happy the scary scam account that emulated my profile and tried to deceive my readers was removed. Those who missed the drama can read it from this link. Breaking News: My Clone Kicked the Bucket, and I’m Gleefully Celebrating It🎉
How to Identify Them? These fraudulent accounts typically lack followers and haven’t authored any stories themselves. They are non-members with no star or heart icons in their profile names. Urgent Notice: Beware of Fake Accounts Impersonating Influential Writers
If you are into gaming, I also wrote about winners of 2023 for popular games. I will introduce some of those games in my forthcoming stories for game lovers. The Winners of The Game Awards 2023 Have Been Announced
Talking of gaming, if you plan to craft stories about these remarkable games, consider submitting them to my publication, ILLUMINATION-Gaming. I’m here to elevate your narratives, ensuring they stand out and increasing their chances of a boost. I wrote about my goals and how I can help our writers in a story titled ILLUMINATION Gaming Is Part of the Boost Program Now.
To inform new writers, our special publication, ILLUMINATION-Curated, now is a boost nominating pub You may learn about How ILLUMINATION Publications Support the BOOST Program.
I’ve bundled up all my lists into one tidy little story. It is a treasure trove of fantastic reads waiting for you. Please consider sharing the love on your socials and dive into these gems! You won’t regret it.
Shareable List Links for Curated Collections on ILLUMINATION
Dr Mehmet Yildiz introduced a writing duo known as Pernoste & Dahl. You will love this introduction as he reveals the mystery behind these interesting writers who writes inspiring and engaing content on Medium.
Meet Pernoste and Dahl: A Writing Duo of a Neuroscientist and an Artist
ILLUMINATION editors introduced a great writer, Somil Gupta. I hope you check his profile and explore his delicious stories.
Our team of volunteers is working through the influx of stories, aiming to review and publish each piece while welcoming new writers into our fold. It’s a labor of love that demands time and effort. Please remember that we support 25K+ writers, as mentioned in our Monthly Updates.
If you missed this recent interview featuring Luay Rahil, here is a link for you. His stories can nicely surprise you. An Interview with Luay Rahil, MBA
For those who missed my Vocal saga, here is the link. I hope new writers don’t make the same mistake I made for 18 months. Here’s How I Miserably Failed Vocal Media But Have No Regrets
ILLUMINATION-Curators compiled boosted stories in December, so you might find some fascinating stories from this collection. I also chose to publish this collection on ILLUMINATION-Curated as our readers enjoy curated collections. Here is their treasure trove: Collection of Boosted Stories from ILLUMINATION-Curated
ILLUMINATION-Curators wrote about that exceptional story. I hope you will get a chance to read it and pay attention to your privacy. An Exceptional Story on Privacy Every Reader May Find Helpful
Our chief editor Dr Mehmet Yildiz, upgraded our publication accounts ILLUMINATION and ILLUMINATION-Curators, as well as his tech account Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech), making them Friends of Medium. Reading from these accounts will allow writers to earn four times more. While curating stories, we read many stories from these accounts, so it will be great for writers. Details are in his story by Dr Mehmet Yildiz (Tech): Why I Became a Friend of Medium
Our senior editor Mike Broadly, DHSc joined the curation team and created new collections from his favorite stories that you may adore. He has amazing taste as an avid reader and has already created seven collections in such a short time. I loved his new collection earlier today.
Mike’s Favorite Stories on ILLUMINATION Publications — #13 Mike Broadly, DHSc
Please find his collections with the associated lists and share them on your socials so we can bring more readers to Medium. Here are links to Mike’s collections: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14
Our supportive editor, famous nutritionist, Elin Melaas, created her second collection earlier. Elin also created the Invisible Series. Elin’s Chosen ILLUMINATION Stories — #2
And our lovely editor Surekha Chandrasekhar also created a collection of her delicious pub ILLUMINATION’s Nutrition which is also our virtual kitchen. 20 Curated Stories From Illumination’s Nutrition -2023
ILLUMINATION editors introduced some great writers. You may check out their profiles and explore their fabulous stories.
Meet Seda Anbarcı, Meet Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi, Meet Jozsef Kovacs, Meet Davor Katusic. Meet Thomas Allen Moon, Meet Sneha Nagre, Meet Zondra Dos Anjos, Meet Ani Vals Meet Ammara Hassan. Meet Sridhar Pai Tonse — Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups Chosen Stories from Omni Essence, Editorial Profile of InYah
Our editors enjoy stories and nominate them for these curated collections. You may check editor profiles in this collection.
I love reading writer biographies and curating them. If you write any bio story please let me know so I can add them to my collection. Meet ILLUMINATION Writers from Their Personally Penned Biographies
Dr Mehmet Yildiz reviewed an interesting book of Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi. If you are a book author, you may contact Dr Yildiz as he really does great reviews. He even wrote the foreword of my gaming book. Here is his great review today. “Nobody Will Tell You This”
As mentioned a few weeks ago, I created a Discord server for our writers to collaborate and share their story links, so you are all welcome to join. We already have great fun there. It is not as big as our Slack, but it will be one day, as Discord is a lot of fun.
Daily List for Sharing — Volume 20
I volunteered to create a list of this collection. So you can easily share this collection on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Quora.
Let’s all engage in this list and at least tweet it so that more readers can find these stories. It is the purpose of these curated lists. We appreciate your wonderful support for these writers who pour their hearts and souls into these stories to delight you. Here are the nominated stories from avid readers today.
Chosen Stories from ILLUMINATION Writers Today
As we mentioned before, “these stories are a combination of what I enjoyed and those which nominated by volunteering editors (also writers and readers) on this platform, so the stories in this collection reflect their collective tastes. As a publication, ILLUMINATION keeps a neutral position for all published stories, and it is impossible to feature over one million published stories. But we will do our best to amplify as many great stories as possible almost daily from now on based on the availability of our volunteers.”
Here are our wonderful and nominated stories today! I believe you will find something that will satisfy your reading needs.
Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters Dr Mehmet Yildiz
The Power of Child Sponsorship Mike Broadly, DHSc
A Decade of Blissfulness Dr Michael Heng
What Really Motivated the Bourgeois Dutch to Charity Ellen Clardy, PhD
Liman Lab Reveals Mechanism of Sour Taste Nancy R. Gough, PhD
Two Key Strategies for Success Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
A Breakdown of Ezra Miller’s Unique Running Style in the Flash Movie Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
January 6th Committee Names Legislative Conspirators Daniel McIntosh, PhD.
Was the Soul Departing? Episode 2 Cedric Johnson, PhD
Time Leaves No One Behind — A Poem Joanie Adams - Sightseer; Conjurer Of Words
Love Is From The Heart, A Romance With Life Dr. Preeti Singh
Your Religion, Politics, and This Actual World Christyl Rivers, Phd.
Health Equity: The Past, Now, And Future Dr. ADAM TABRIZ
Photographing My Snapdragons. Dr John Frederick Rose
Psychedelics for Psych? Dr. Stacey Maples
It is so thrilling to now have 80,000 followers on this platform. Dr. Deborah M. Vereen
How Do Narcissists Convince Flying Monkeys to Do Outrageous Things for Them? Melissa Kalt, MD
A Guide to Navigating Countries Changing Their Official Names Seda Anbarcı
Where I am Today: 432 of My Stories and 6072 Responses Dr. Gabriella Korosi
Laughy Daffy Pucky Poo Ahmed Bari | Enthusiast of Psychology and God
Old New Christmas Day Anastasia Soho
Why I Stopped Making My Bed Every Morning Anshul Kummar
Beyond the Shadows: Embracing the Chilling Thrills of Horror Films Aun Gregg
Internet Vanishes After Thunderstorm Brenda H.
Big Changes Incoming for Counter-Strike Players Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
Achieving Work-Life Balance Chappy
Start Your 6-figures High-Priced Web Agency Within One Year — Realistic or Utopian? Chris by thebootcode.io
Does Free Will Exist? Knowledge, Bias, and the Limits of Objectivity Christabelle Pabalan
Homage to Taylor Swift & Travis Kelse diana swezy
Are Helicopter Parents Hindering Success? Emily Chan - Life and love sharing
Can People Who Have Loved Each Other Seriously Be Friends? Emotion Live
How To Make Your Talk Memorable Gaurav smirth
Overcoming The Shadows Of Self-Doubt In the Age Of Social Media izzibella Beau
What Everybody Ought to Know About Being a Badass Version of Yourself Jake Simmons
Life Is Forever! Jamen Mendes
There’s No Right Or Wrong Way To Spend Your Holidays Janine
What Price, Truth? Jayshree Gururaj
Kick Doubt Out — Build Your Confidence in the New Year Jennifer Pierce
Exploring the Flip Side of Christmas: A Fresh Perspective John R. Miles
The Day After Christmas John Whye
The Power of Active Listening Jose Montanez
Reevaluating the Holiday Spirit K.J. Daniels
Improve your eating habits with an agile project management approach Kantsyber Oksana
Ask Yourself The Hard Questions First Karen Humphries
These Three Phenomena Mean That He Wants to Leave You Karl Walker
The Invisible Toll Of Insomnia Kim Fedyk
Unlocking the Unseen: A Journey into the Depths of Perception and Persuasion. Michael A Davis
Coming To Understand Jonathan’s Drawings Michael Holford
The Fastest Way to Ruin Your Entire Life MRCOLLINSFX
Solitude Nathaniel Shaw
What if it wasn’t “the” House that got stormed but, rather, just your house? Noel Holston
Is It A Relationship Or A Prison? Paul Trood
Abandonment, Selfishness and Jealousy. Penpont Writer
Embrace the Whispers of Wisdom. Philip M - I
Multiplexes Need To Do This Piyush Vaish
How To Become Successful In 2024 Even If You Have Failed Before! Poonam Bhatt
When your teeth bite your tongue, there are hidden risks. Rajesh Poovathum kadavil
3 Categories of Words Wise People Avoid Like Cats Eschew Water Ram Mo
The Royalty Have No Place In Our Modern World Raveen
Does Medium Feel Like Journaling to You Too? Renee Lauren
Let Go Of What Has Passed: S.a.n.a.h
What Are The Advantages Of Waking Up Early In The Morning? Sania Haroon
Day in a life of Threat Hunter Secure Nutsell
Day in a life of Threat Hunter
Chapter 01 : Security Tools and Basics of Security Analyst
medium.com
Lessons from Misti Shawn Ingram
I Learned Productivity the Wrong Way. Do Not Make the Same Mistake I Did. Shireen Low
How Beautiful and Creative The Traditional Chinese Characters Are That I Didn’t Know Before Sophia
Beliefs: Do You Believe Everything You Think? Tarek Rakhiess
The Golden Rules Of Love The Nerd
How to make Money in the Shortest Time ? ! tim8888
The Pillar of Most 50K Followers Profile: Overcoming Shyness Tommaso Nobili
How to Join the Top 1% Elite in 2024 Usman Aslam
The Benefits of Forest Bathing Hasnain A
Grave Secrets Vadim Dambreville
Cries and Laughters Yong Kim
Truth Behind Lowest Birth Rate in the World: South Korea Zion
I Want To Change Myself. Zunaira Fatima
Negotiating Opposing Diets in Parenting for the Wellbeing of Children Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Here’s How to Join the Top 1% in Any Field (Without Being Smart, Sexy, or Filthy Rich) Tim Denning
Eckhart Tolle’s Teaching on Our Two Identities David Gerken
Follow My 10-Point Plan to Land Your Dream Job (Part 4) David B. Grinberg 🇺🇸
I Changed My Mindset and Increased My Productivity by Brainwashing Myself Ayodeji Awosika
How to Stay Sane in America, According to My European Husband Anastasia Frugaard
Birds Unfurl The Wings Sheltering My Heart Rebecca Romanelli
5 Reasons I Enjoy My Retirement Years More Than Working Ones Mike Broadly — Healthier Lifestyle
The Yellow Hibiscus Chapter 69 on Illumination Book Chapters Annelise Lords
To Hope, To Dream, Rebecca Stevens A.
The Father I Want To Be For My Transgender Child Tony Leo
The 5 Elements Of A Good Scene Geri Spieler
How I Cured My Smartphone Addiction Sufyan Maan, M.Eng
Take Little Steps to Leap Forward Don Simkovich, MA
Is Apple Building Silently A Tsunami Of Disruptions? Jussi Luukkonen, MBA
Create Your Content = Create Your Profitable Products Jeff the Content Profit Coach
What Alignment Can Do for You Bill Abbate
What My Father Told Me After He Died Arthur G. Hernandez
Earn $312 a Month with Referred Members Annie Wegner
Are You Ready to Buy a Home? Christina M. Ward
How to Avoid Panic Stock Selling Brian Lamacraft
The One Thing You Might be Doing That is Increasing Your Belly Fat Ange Dim
Stories of a Life Lived True Pierre. Minimalism proud Autistic.
Use Instagram To Repurpose Your Blogs in a Creative Way. Cee Cee
Give A Slap Get An Oscar Caryn Leach-Smith
The Questionable Practice of Renting Friends and Family Members Charles Amemiya
The Biggest Challenge I Have Faced Writing On Medium So Far Chasing Dreams
I Wrote Outside of My Niche for One Month Kristina Segarra
Students in Rural Areas Often Have Less Qualified Teachers Nicole Dake
I Had to Call 911 Again, I Don’t Want to Lose My Wife, and I’m Scared Lawson Wallace
It’s a Year Since We Began Our Money Challenge, This Is What We Did With Our £1,000 Malky McEwan
Amazing Internet Finds — Website edition: Part 1 Abraham Hernandez
3 Amazing Senior Stories: No, You’re Not Too Old To Succeed Alex Philippe
TikTok — The World’s Most Visited Website? It isn’t Even In The Top 50! Aql
How to Create Viral Content That Generates Thousands of Visitors Per Day Adam Pearson
Italian adult film actress killed and thrown on the side of a road Bogdan Mtn
Manners Make Us Bridget Stella Ruxton Wilson
Why Do the World’s Most Famous Brands Treat Their Employees the Worst? Calum James
He Asked for a List Brooklyn Muse
Whetstone Cinis Viatorem
The Morality of Turtles David Todd McCarty
Dear Male Writers: Stop Doing These Embarrassing Things Daniella Gaskell
What Was Your Takeaway? Destiny S. Harris
WTF is a Rewrite? Chris Carlone
Curated Collection #125 ILLUMINATION
The World’s Best-Loved Authors Breathe Life Back into A Girl’s Prose Elle How
Poem: The Power of Discipline Dharan.M
What Happens When We Die? 2 Powerful Views From “Midnight Mass” Cosmin Firta
What You Can Learn From Love is Blind and Married at First Site Dakota Duncan
Why Russian & Ukrainian Men Make Great Soldiers and Cannon Fodder Too… Dean Gee
Your Stress-Free Manifestation Tools Made Easy With Unusual Items 🌸Exorcistinpink💮
My Ho’oponopono Letter to My Inner Child Evelyn Lim
This Powerful Tool Can Help You Navigate to the Career You Truly Want Farrah Smith
Lyon, France Gerad Carrier
Blindness DearLove
Followers of Medium Writers Don Martin
Root Beer Roulette Elizabeth Emerald
Our Golden Wedding Anniversary Edward Thomas
Change Change Change Emlyn Boyle
Thank you for reading these beautiful stories.
Now, let’s welcome the new writers who joined us recently. Please explore their stories and they resonate with you you may connect with them. This is a great opportunity for writers and readers to meet.
You may also check previously joined writers in the last two weeks from the attached onboarding packs. You never know who to meet.
Here is our onboarding pack covering everything you need to know.
New writers, when you need help please don’t hesitate to contact me on Slack workspace or Discord server. I introduce these services below.
I also enjoy introducing writers on YouTube. So if you are interested you may contact me on Slack or Discord.
Here is some info about Slack and Discords
About Me
I write articles in my field covering gaming, film-making, social media, and design. I am also a YouTuber. Thank you for subscribing to my account to get notifications when I post on Medium. I created a new website to share my content for free and promote stories of writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I also have a Substack newsletter. Let’s connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.
I own two publications on Medium. One for video gamers and another for YouTubers and Podcasters. I also support Illumination Integrated Publications as a volunteer editor and participate in collaborative activities in the Slack Workspace.
Writer applications for my publications can be sent via this weblink. Please add your Medium ID. I also enjoy email marketing using Cliqly, which is my affiliate link.
