Curated Collection and Daily Updates
Look What Aiden Found Today — Episode #46
Favorite stories I read plus community-nominated pieces tailored for avid readers of ILLUMINATION Publications on Medium

Today, I reached out to Dr Mehmet Yildiz because the ILLUMINATION queue was skyrocketing. To my surprise, he had already tackled around 50 of them. He mentioned other administrative tasks, and I offered to lend a hand. Amid his hectic schedule, he chatted with me joyfully. I gained a deeper understanding of his challenges, and I hope those who sometimes take our volunteer service for granted read this story. Running these Medium publications is no walk in the park; it’s not all roses and rainbows.
As I curated these gems, I encountered numerous “aha” moments — some inducing fits of laughter, others coaxing tears, all painting my journey with vivid emotions. I’m excited to pass on these emotional roller coasters to you, hoping they’ll add a sprinkle of joy or even a smidgen of uncontrollable giggles to your day. Enjoy the ride.
I couldn’t write a story for the last few days, but reading and curating made me happy. I plan to write a piece this weekend. As you might have noticed, I reverted back to the previous style, as some readers believe subtitles and images make the stories more appealing. So, I traded off the size for reader preference. But if I read more stories, I plan to divide them into releases to keep the size reasonable. Today’s collection is a bit smaller, around 50.
The duplicating and cloning frenzy got even more intense. After Dr Yildiz got duplicated three times now, Mike even surpassed him. Yes, he was cloned four times a week; most likely, he does curation work, and scammers seem to want to use his audience. He is right to be frustrated.
ILLUMINATION editors created an important bulletin for increasing spam, scam, and bot accounts, contaminating the platform and causing grief to writers and readers. Please be careful as I was cloned and felt bad about it.
I read an interesting story from Dr Yildiz related to Mike’s story and his findings from the spammy topics pages. Rather than sharing his remarkable story on Medium, Dr Yildiz chose to publish it on NewsBreak because he got tired of spam affecting the performance of our stories. He explained the reasons in a post.
Those who missed my Vocal saga can read it from this link. But I highly recommend the story of Dr Yildiz as it is concerning for new writers like me trying to make Medium our home.
Our newsletter for Illumination informing our progress and plans was released on both Medium and on Substack earlier. I link both so you can share with your relevant audience. Sharing is a wonderful community trait.
ILLUMINATION-Curators compiled and published the collection of boosted stories from ILLUMINATION-Curated. I believe you will find amazing stories from that collection. It is a labor of love between writers, editors, nominators, and Medium curators to delight our readers.
Finally, yesterday, I wrote a short gaming story. If you are into Tetris, you may like this amazing news. A New World Record in NES Tetris Game: It Was Just Beaten By A 13-Year-Old
I also helped add many new writers. You may start exploring their content. ILLUMINATION editors guided them earlier to start writing for us. Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #30
December 2023 was an excellent month for me. In addition, a story near and dear to my heart got a boost. Many thanks for the comments on this story: Gaming, Fun, and Humor: The Lifelines That Rescued Me From Social Media’s Grip on My Life.
I recently self-curated my monthly stories for my loyal readers and as a sample for fellow writers. I look forward the same success this month so I keep working hard.
Here’s an interview with popular writer Tim Denning. You may enjoy what Tim said in this interesting interview. He is a source of inspiration for fellow writers and thousands of readers.
Last year, I wrote a story about Tim as part of an AI project. I believe you will love what AI thinks about Tim.
If you are an avid reader like me or Mike and can afford to consider upgrading your subscription by taking the plunge like many early adopters whom I introduced you to in this story.
ILLUMINATION editors interviewed Dr Yildiz on how Friends of Medium can share links on out tailored social media platforms. I tried them, and sharing these stories took only 10 minutes. I hope they bring many new readers to Medium. We all need to attract more readers to make this platform more vibrant and sustainable.
You may also check out the recent collection of Mike Broadly, DHSc, an avid reader and a proud FoM contributing to the earnings of our writers.
Our editors and curators also explained how we promote non-boosted stories, which are more than 99%, so I take a significant role in this process to create visibility for such stories.
Please also check our strategic approach for 2024, which is aligned with Medium’s direction articulated by Dr Mehmet Yildiz, our chief editor.
He also mentioned that only 5% of his stories performed well in 2023 and other 95% hardly got any views.
Dr Yildiz also added many new writers during his holidays. I will add their profiles to the end so you may welcome them and connect with them.
Daily List for Sharing — Volume 46
I volunteered to create a list of this collection. So you can easily share this collection on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, or Quora. You can find all our sharing platforms from this story link by Dr Yildiz.
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.
Why I Make It a Priority to Identify and Avoid [Negative] Speculative Self-Talk Dr Mehmet Yildiz
A Red Cross First Aid Certificate Was the Ticket Out of Hell for Our Grateful Client Gill McCulloch
Things I Miss About the U.S. As an American Living in Paris Jolie Porter
Giving From Our Hearts Instead of Our Heads Rebecca Romanelli
Why Every American Should Care About Obamacare (Part 1) David B. Grinberg 🇺🇸
My ‘Adapted’ Pomodoro Technique Vivian Robert, Ph.D.
I Tasted 4 Foraged Fruits Today Dr. Seema Patel (PhD)
How To Bulk and Cut Properly for Optimal Long-Term Muscle Growth David Welburn
How To Use Spirituality Every Day James Boylan
A Winter’s Joy — A Winter’s Solarity; Tales To The Warm-hearted In The Frigid Season — Morning… Joanie Adams - Sightseer; Conjurer Of Ideas
What do We Really Know? Rene Volpi Jr.
I’m A Black Mama; Of Course, I Do All Those Things Toni Crowe
New Year’s Resolutions — The Reality @Quill Adventurer
What is your DIR in life? Ahmadou DIALLO ✪
I’m Not Worried about AI. Dr John Frederick Rose
Three Steps To Earn Your Confidence. Angelica Mendez
About Some Poems Pernoste & Dahl
Historical Artifacts as Interior Centrepieces: Blending Past and Present Aria Blackwater
Oh, So You Speak in Tongues? Decoding the ‘Divine’ Babble Ava
Why is “GaryVee” aka “Gary Vaynerchuk” no longer using medium? Avisk
Learn in a Minute: Majestic Mall Marvels: Dubai Mall Be The Ignite
Anxieties Stem From Wanting to Make A Difference in The World, Which Leads to The Illusion of… Blues & Blues Rock
Understanding Hyperfocus in ADHD Students Brandon Slade
Are You Stopping Yourself from Healing? Brian Francis
Title: Unlocking Unlimited Potential: The Power of Positive Thinking and How to Cultivate an… CapelDiego
Margins in Milk-Based Beverage Charlene Ann Mildred
Welcome To Life Stripped Down. Connie Ottmann
Conformance for Social A David Graham
Sunshine CyberFunkPunk, Mindful Mantra Meta-Verse Manifesto for Fun, Dancing, Laughing Writers ✅ Doc Samurai Sam 🍿
Dating at 80: What Does That Feel Like? Donnette Anglin
One Simple Tool Diabetics Can Use To Save Their Lives Doug Timberlake
Do You Care About Making the World More Peaceful? Epic Dreamweaver
No Matter What You Do, Be Audience-Centric Like Jim Carrey Learned to Be Fabio Cerpelloni
Tips for Boostworthy Essays on Medium Frances A. Chiu
The One Meditation Practice that Altered My Perspective Gabe Araujo, M.Sc.
Trial by Fire Can Show You What You’re Capable Of George “Ace” Acevedo
The Good Shepherd Cathedral Gerad Carrier
Looking for Better Job Opportunities Is Part of Life J & J (Jessica & Joshua J. Lyon, BSQP, CNP)
You Are Right Where You Are Supposed To Be Jasmine
How Do You Effortlessly Sell Your Social Media Account? Jenn Leach
About the “Top 100 copywriters of 2021” list Jibril Yusuf
Silent Thunder John Clark - The Courageous Trek
Why Are Top YouTubers Quitting? Juan Cienfuegos
A Eulogy for My Mother Julia Byrd
How to use feedback to create better content. Jüst Ølî
The Language of Dreams Kendalin Jane
8 of Life’s Biggest Time Wasters — Avoid Them at All Costs Kurtis Pykes
The World Remains Immutable Light and Paper
Queerness & Creativity: Why Are So Many Poets Gay? Lisa Fouweather
You’ve Never Experienced Life Quite Like This and Never Will Again Maria Marmo
January Top Picks — Week 2 Mariana Izabelle 💫
$4.5 Trillion: Beyond the Numbers Mark Mahon
DISC: How to Master Working With Others Michael Lumpp
Nutrition is a Superpower for Addiction Recovery. Michele C. Willingham
Frustration: Now My Account Was Duplicated 4th Times in a Week Mike Broadly, DHSc
5-Step Masterplan to Turbocharge Your To-Do List for a Productivity Power-Up Mofrad Muntasir
“Sustainable Finance” Mujtaba Mehboob
Writing benefits Nasar Karim
That Day My Landlord Pulled A Gun On Me Player One
“The Symphony of Adventure” Rubbasmehboob
Destiny or Free Will Ruky
Today Is The Day Of Action And There Is No Reckoning — While Tomorrow Is The Day Of Reckoning But… S.a.n.a.h
Gordon Ramsay Burger — Huge Disappointment Sage Pen
Growing Up: The Hurtful Aspects of Sibling Comparisons and What Parents Can Do Sam writes 🌸
Silent Tears Sapna M
So what now? Stacey Lynn Klug
Why I Am Still Single Steven L
Maze of Joy and Sorrow. Suresh Sangwan Saru
Truthfully Sтepн Tнoмpѕoɴ
Learn, Discover, & Use Corporate Superpowers Effectively Like Your Favorite Superhero Tser Dennis
Maximizing Productivity: Essential Hacks for Side Hustle Success Vince Park
This Is How Much I Made In My Second Month On Medium: Zach Breiner
Thank you for reading these beautiful stories.
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. Meet Somil Gupta on Medium
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 — #17 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, #15, #16
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.
Introduction to New Writers
Now, let’s welcome the new writers who joined us recently. Please explore their stories and they resonate with you may connect with them. This is a great opportunity for writers and readers to meet.
A Special Welcome to New Writers on New Year’s Day from the Chief Editor
A Special Welcome to New Writers on Christmas Day from the Chief Editor
You may also check previously joined writers in the last two weeks from the attached onboarding packs. You never know who to meet.
Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #28
Announcement of New Writers for ILLUMINATION #27
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.






