New Writers | Illumination

Welcome to Illumination

It’s different here.

On most social media platforms, the way people connect is by commenting and liking other peoples posts. Eventually they will follow you back. As you share your interests and ideas, you may become friends.

When I first joined Medium, I tried to connect with writers using the same techniques. I would read and highlight the words that resonated with me. Then I would give them applause. Applause used to be one of the metrics that drove the payment algorithm for Medium.

In the fall of 2019 it changed to read time.

Then I read a story that noted a change in the statistics. A story would have views but not a corresponding number of reads. (It’s never one to one, but there was a larger difference.)

Writers felt sure it was because people were no longer finishing articles because they didn’t want to give the writer the added reading time.

I wrote about it here.

Reading and supporting other writers is part of who I am and I was disappointed to discover how competitive others could be.

In the end, I decided not to change who I am.

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Then I was invited to join Illumination.

The response to my first couple of articles was so supportive, I was surprised. ‘There are readers here’, I thought. ‘These writers aren’t out for just themselves, trying to make a buck with click bait titles’.

Writers at Illumination support each other. We take the time find each other on all of the social media platforms we use. We follow each other and like each other’s posts. We share and click and retweet.

Sometimes it’s challenging to fit it all in but that’s part of why I am here.

The cross collaboration is fantastic and it excites me when I hear a writer suggest we explore a topic together. The writing is professional and comes from diverse perspectives.

I know I’m lucky to be a writer here. This publication includes many talented people. Some are new to writing and others are published authors with a lot of experience. No matter what your level of experience, everyone is appreciated.

Participation is encouraged. I really appreciate the attitude of reciprocity.

Most writers make a point to read a new article from several authors every day.

We celebrate each other’s successes.

At Illumination, I feel my voice is heard.

We teach each other. I’ve had a few new writers ask me for help and I’m happy to lend a hand. Others have done the same for me.

In a short time I’ve learned so much. I’ve improved the format of my posts. I learned to engage with my readers by adding a note at the end of my posts and I’m now adding links to other stories I’ve enjoyed writing. My titles have improved and I’m choosing better tags.

Every day, Dr. Mehmet publishes a curation bulletin of fresh new writing from my friends. I look forward to reading what they’ve created and I read and appreciate as many as I can.

• I appreciate the writers who reached out to welcome me when I first joined Illumination.
• I appreciate the enthusiasm of the new writers as they discover us.
• I appreciate the editors who perform a huge service with kindness and patience.
• I appreciate everyone’s willingness to listen to different points of view.
• I appreciate how our editors reach out and communicate with writers and readers.
• Most of all I appreciate the encouragement and support.

And because of all of you, I’m proud to be a writer for Illumination.

Thanks so much to Dr Mehmet Yildiz for this project. I look forward to our journey as we continue to build community at Illumination.

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.

I write to inspire and make connections. If you’re interested in more, sign up here.