Writing | Relationships | Conversation

The First Solution, Quotes and Connecting Through Topics

Join the Conversation and Pay it Forward

Nurturing 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 really like to get to know you too.

Writers Can Make Meaningful Change!

Cross-Pollination is encouraged here. If you have your own publication, share it with us by writing an introduction.

The First Solution

This project was created by Sarah Towle @HiStoryteller on Medium.

She is an Award-winning London-based US ex-pat author. Her writing describes her journey from outrage to activism one tale of humanity and heroism at a time.

Sarah created a publication at medium called The First Solution and is sharing her writing using this newsletter.

Here is a sample of her hard-hitting style. Have a read. It’s well worth your time.

I believe The First Solutions Project has the potential to become a powerful way to initiate action that will move us toward a better planet.

If this interests you, I invite you to participate. Join the conversation by following Sarah Towle and checking out her newsletter.

There are trailblazing, collaborative projects being developed at Illumination.

Dr. Mehmet Yildiz supports the creation of Illumination Projects.

I encourage you to give it a try.

Creating a Passion Project allows you to research and write about a topic that you love. You’ll also benefit from the connections you make with a group of like-minded individuals and you’ll be building your network.

The Curation Question

How do I get curated? It’s a question asked by many writers on Medium.

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

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

I recently wrote about focusing on an Irresistible Post.

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.

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.

Answers to your Burning Questions

Do you have a burning question?

This is your opportunity. Add your question as a comment here and I’ll be happy to answer it.

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 how to make it work for me and I’m still learning.

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

Here’s one thing I learned along the way.

There are two types of quotes in the Medium editor.

Select your text and click on the quote icon in the menu. The quote icon is to the right of the small T.

Click the quote icon once to create a block quote. A block quote is when the text has a dark vertical line on the left side of the page. (Just like this text has a dark vertical line to the left of the quote.)

Click the quote icon again to make it a pull quote. (It will look like this.)

and Voila! You’ve learned a new tip.

All Our Stories In One Place — The Daily distribution list

Another way to engage with writers at ILLUMINATION is by checking out the daily distribution list. It includes the stories in the last 24 hours. When you write something and publish on ILLUMINATION your article will appear there too! Here’s the archive that includes all of the posts.

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 share what I've learned.

Here’s an idea that works.

Choose a random topic and read articles written by other authors. It’s a great way to learn something new and you will discover some talented writers here.

You can find stories by topic on Illumination by using the search feature.

Go to the Illumination home page at https://medium.com/illumination

Find the magnifying glass symbol at the top of the page and enter your search word. For example, you could search for Gamers. Here’s what comes up.

This is a great way to discover writers who are interested in the same things as you are. Read what they have to say and respond in the comments.

Write an article about your findings.

Include links to the articles you read. Introduce each link with a short description of the article.

Authors love to be recognized and this is a really great way to connect.

More on starting conversations here:

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

Let’s Talk About Slack

We collaborate with published authors, bloggers, and other service providers to extend our network. Join us on our Slack channel to participate.

Slack is our main communication tool. You can send a request via this link to join. Mention “slack request” in the message.

Here are some tips to get up and running with Slack.

We’re here to support you and want you to be successful.

All we ask in return, is that you do the same.

Meet the Editors

Here is our complete list of Editor bios! Discover who they are and what makes them tick.

Today’s Challenge- Join the Conversation:

Create a Project by writing about your passion!

Your article should have the kicker “ILLUMINATION SPECIAL PROJECTS” and mention your project name as part of the title.

It’s a win win — you support the us, and we support you.

If you want to catch up on previous bulletins, have a look here:

Introducing the counter-intuitive concept of cross-pollination between publications.

From the basics to the complicated, here is a summary of tips I’ve discovered to improve your images and use them to connect with a wider audience of readers.

An insider’s view as we create the Urban Food Project and how to increase profile views.

We create an Illumination Project together, and ask — is curation the holy grail of Medium?

The steps to create your own Project to make a meaningful difference.

Oracle cards can provide guidance to the mysteries of life and can strengthen your spiritual connections.

Introducing the Gaia Project, also creating real conversations with writers.

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

Maria Surkova, Rafaela Mempin, Mythili Iyer, Miki Yamamoto, Eleri Denham, Jolina Maitland, Dr. Audrey, Rhys Burton, K R, Al Williams, Nusrat Nisa, Hamzah Ghani, Sean Edwards, Farewell to Oak Street, Peter Banasiak, Bettina Villegas, Marie T Smith, Parv Sondhi, Neil Pavitt, Anupama A Prakash, Shrenik Shah,

If you know someone who might want to join our growing, joyful, and supportive publication as a writer, please leave a message via this link.

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

Illumination is all about being engaged in a positive and supportive way. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say!

Tag me @treelangdon or add a message to this post if you’d like to connect. I’m a‘Top Writer’ in Poetry on Medium. Find me on Twitter and Facebook.*