To My Fellow Illumination Writers

Shine on. Just……Shine on.

This is a message to all my many co-creators and all those to come

We have a job to do.

That job is to listen to our Muses.

Not the trolls, not the naysayers, not the barkers and the biters and the supercilious arrogant folks.

Those folks are not your tribe.

Not everyone on Illumination may be in your tribe either, and that’s as it should be.

The bigger we get, the more variety, the more diversity, the more likely that there will be fellow Illumination writers who may disagree with you.

That’s as it should be.

There may be Illumination writers whose work you disagree with.

That’s as it should be.

They may not be your tribe.

Let it be. Let them be. Keep on writing your truth. That’s respect. It’s also how we make space for differences.

All you and I can do is our best work. Your tribe will find you. The best ones will challenge you, but they will do it respectfully.

If you are doing your best work, you will probably find people barking at you.

The better you get, the braver you are, the tougher your truth, the louder the effort to silence.

Some of them may sound like they’d like your guts on a platter.

Kindly, way I see it, that’s how you know you’re doing your job.

If you don’t get reactions, you may be playing it too safe.

The Illumination publication in its entirety and Dr. Yildiz himself got completely cancelled out and removed from Medium at one point early on. That’s how outright ugly things can get.

And. Here we are. The fastest-growing, most inclusive, supportive, engaged community on Medium.

That, and strong voices, and brilliant truth, are going to piss people off.

Good.

That means we’re listening to our Muses.

So, you new writers. Beginning writers. Writers feeling a little tentative, perhaps.

Illumination is where you can flex, and build, and express. Let’s also do that with respect.

The last thing I want to do is block someone on Illumination. I had to this past week.

Lots of folks feeling stressed. Me too. But kindly, nobody else deserves to have to wear ours as well as their own.

If you aren’t someone’s tribe, walk away. Be respectful.

If you are someone’s tribe, read, comment, link, support, and share. Engage. If If you are supremely fortunate, you will end up with friends.

I mean, amazing friends.

At the very least you will gain a community of folks who will have your back. Help you succeed.

At the best you might find friends who change your life. I sure have.

But kindly, that’s earned.

Let’s protect this extraordinary community. It is unique, special. Worth holding to the highest possible standards.

So please shine. Write your Muse. Share your heart. Be brave.

If a fellow writer is not your tribe, walk away. Let it go. Make room for who is.

There’s plenty of support and space for all of us. We do not have to agree to be successful.

We simply need to create space for differences. Permission for folks whose Muse may not align with ours, but whose voice has just as much right to shine.

Thanks again to Dr. Y.