Summary

A new writer shares their positive experience and perspective on joining the Medium publication ILLUMINATION, highlighting the publication's inclusive approach, efficient communication, and high-quality content.

Abstract

The author, a relatively new member of Medium, reflects on their journey from having zero followers to gaining traction through ILLUMINATION. Initially apprehensive about the submission process, the author was pleasantly surprised by the acceptance and support from ILLUMINATION, which helped their articles reach a wider audience without altering the original content. The publication impressed the author with its prompt responses and helpful submission guidelines, which were more supportive than restrictive. ILLUMINATION's commitment to quality content is evident in the articles they feature, and the author finds this quality enriches their own writing. The author expresses gratitude to John Ross for inspiring them to share their experience and acknowledges ILLUMINATION as a nurturing platform for new writers.

Opinions

The author initially felt that writing for publications like ILLUMINATION was reserved for elite writers on Medium.
ILLUMINATION is praised for evaluating articles based on quality rather than the writer's track record, giving every writer an equal opportunity.
The submission guidelines of ILLUMINATION, which may seem daunting, are actually designed to improve the quality of the articles.
The author's experience with ILLUMINATION's response time was significantly better than expected, with feedback provided within one to two days, contrary to the warned longer waiting periods.
The quality of the articles published by ILLUMINATION is considered exceptional, and the author often reads them for inspiration and improvement of their own writing.
The author credits Dr. Mehmet Yildiz's concept of synergy in describing the mutually beneficial relationship between reading high-quality content and enhancing one's writing skills.
The author thanks John Ross for motivating them to write about their experience with ILLUMINATION, emphasizing the publication's role in shaping the history of Medium through the contributions of its writers.

My Discovery Of ILLUMINATION

A New WRITER’S Perspective

I haven’t been on Medium very long — just about a month. Do you remember those times of your life before you knew what Medium was?

Anyway, we all remember our first story, and looking at the stats go from zero-up for the first time. That, for me, wasn’t very long ago.

I had 0 Followers when I joined ILLUMINATION, which brings me to my first point.

1. From 0 Followers Up

For me, joining publications was a daunting process. Since I was a free member, I couldn’t even read most submission pages on publications. I assumed writing for publications was for the crème de la crème of Medium and that I would never be published.

I applied anyway — might as well get rejected early on and know my own worth. In the submission guidelines, most publications mention things like:

If we don’t get back to you in over a week you’ve been rejected.

We reserve the right to change everything about your story before we publish it.

I assumed that Publishers were probably the Cruella de Vil’s of the Medium platform — had everything, and wanted to take more.

I was accepted to ILLUMINATION. Boy, did my opinion change. I remember glancing over ILLUMINATION on my Publications list and assuming for a few days that it was part of the Suggested Publications before realizing it was really there.

They even accepted my first article. I looked it over to see how much of it was left the same — ALL of it. ILLUMINATION helped me get traction early on. They discern articles based on the quality and not the track record. Everyone gets a shot!

2. They Under-Promise And OVER-Deliver

They make it seem like you have to jump through a lot of hoops on their Submission form, but in reality, it’s just sound advice that makes your articles great. All those bullet points are actually resources to help you.

There’s still the “We may take ages to get back to you” clause. Every time I’ve submitted to ILLUMINATION, they got back to me within ONE day!

Even on ILLUMINATION-Curated, where the waiting line is warned to be 1-Week long, they got back to me within TWO days.

3. The QUALITY Of The Work

Even before I discovered ILLUMINATION — it wasn’t very long — I noticed the blue and yellow lightbulb logo pop up on a lot of articles all over Medium. The best content finds its way to the top.

This brings me to my last point — the quality of their work. The quality of articles published on Illumination is AMAZING. I read them all the time. Not only do you get to publish and have your work viewed, you also get to enjoy some of the best articles on the web, neatly selected for you by Illumination staff.

I find that they enrich my own writing (don’t plagiarize). I think Dr Mehmet Yildiz calls this synergy.

Conclusion

I’d like to thank John Ross for inspiring me to write such a piece. He’s right, the history of ILLUMINATION is yet to be written by writers like us. Don’t worry if you’re new. You’ve found a home.