Writer Introductions

We have initiated a series highlighting our writers. For instance, we showcased Shashi Sastry, author of "Philosophy of Life Instinct," who contributes to Illumination Book Chapters on YouTube. Additionally, we featured top writer Sinem Gunel, sharing her insights in "Fresh Perspectives to Mindfulness and Spirituality." You can also check out our introduction of Dr. Preeti Singh, our Senior Editor, on YouTube.

YouTube Initiative for 2022

Our primary business goal for 2022 is to elevate our writers' profiles by harnessing the potential of the Illumination YouTube Channel. We encourage you to subscribe to our channel to stay updated on our latest videos.

A community member with expertise in media, design, and filmmaking, Aidan, has volunteered to manage our YouTube channel. He has joined both Medium and our Slack workspace, offering his services to assist our writers. You can reach Aidan through our Slack platform, where he goes by the handle Illumination YouTube Coordinator.

Aidan has been proactive in creating introductory videos. Here are a few we’ve embedded in our recent posts:

• Illumination on YouTube: An introductory video for Illumination Integrated Publications on Medium.
• How Writers Can Use YouTube Creatively and Productively.
• Improving the Quality of Writing Using an Editorial Checklist: A video presentation of Illumination's editorial checklist.

Photo Handling Policy Update

We have revised our image copyright policies to clarify fair use concerns, a significant issue we face in our publications. Our aim is to safeguard our writers from copyright violations. For further details, refer to our post: "Why Image Copyrights Matter for Writers and Editors: Update on Story Photos Policy for Illumination Integrated Publications on Medium."

Redesign of Illumination Front Page

Another key highlight of December was the redesign of the ILLUMINATION front page, influenced by feedback from our valued readers and writers. We relocated publication-related articles to the ILLUMINATION Blog, enhancing the accessibility of fresh content on our front page.

We also created several featured pages to improve story visibility. These pages are designed to showcase your work to a broader audience interested in specific topics. More redesigns are planned for other pages soon. Here are the links to our new featured pages:

Invitation to Volunteer Editors

Currently, some of our volunteer editors are facing health challenges, which has impacted our publishing efficiency. However, our available editors are committed to maintaining our 24-hour delivery schedule. We are grateful for their dedication and support to our community.

If you are interested in volunteering as an editor, please reach out to me on our Slack workspace, which is open to all contributors. We have over 10,000 members. Alternatively, if you lack access to Slack or missed previous invitations, you can request access via this online webform. The eligibility criteria for serving as an editor are outlined in this article.

Progress of Writers

We are thrilled to report that numerous new writers have surpassed 100 followers, thus qualifying for the Medium Partner Program (MPP). If you are a new writer aiming to expand your audience, consider these helpful articles:

• 8 Proven Tips to Build a Rock-Solid Reading Audience
• 6 Easy & Proven Tips to Increase Followers
• How To Become A Top Writer In Three Months
• Subscribers Can Produce 50 Times Better Results Than Followers for Freelance Writers

We are also pleased to see several writers completing writing challenges, with the 100 Day Writing Challenge being particularly popular. Some even attempted 1000 short forms in 100 days. We provided updates on these challenges in previous newsletters.

Participating in writing challenges can be beneficial for new MPP contributors. We encourage you to share your story links, thoughts, and aspirations during these unique challenges. Many readers enjoyed "The Proust Questionnaire," which could lead them to your stories.

Updates on Stats

While some writers have noted a decline in statistics for various Medium stories, we have not experienced this trend in our publications. In fact, our reading times have increased significantly in recent months, with an average of over 50,000 minutes of reading time per day. Several stories achieved viral status.

We are proud to announce that articles on ILLUMINATION received over 6.2 million minutes of reading in the past 90 days. Reading time is a crucial metric as it translates to income for writers and reflects the support of our discerning readership.

Our contributors consistently deliver a diverse array of engaging and informative stories, making ILLUMINATION shine even brighter for our readers. Thank you for your contributions.

Stories in our second largest publication, ILLUMINATION-Curated, garnered over a million minutes of reading time in the last 90 days. A few stories also went viral. We only feature stories from experienced writers in this publication. If you’re interested in joining, more information is available.

Our third largest publication, Technology Hits, has performed exceptionally well over the past two months, attracting many new readers with its tech content. Additionally, several new authors have joined ILLUMINATION Book Chapters and begun publishing chapters of their books. Here is a link to some sample chapters.

Readers Hope, our newest publication launched in November for aspiring writers, has received an enthusiastic response from both writers and readers. We have crafted valuable resources to encourage readers to engage in the writing process by sharing stories, receiving guidance from editors, and fostering support from the reading community.

Readers Hope is tailored for aspiring writers eager to become published authors. It offers a clear roadmap, backed by a supportive team of volunteer editors. Here is the vision and mission of "Readers Hope," which aims to transform avid readers into prolific writers using an innovative publishing tool.

We recognize that raw content may not appeal to everyone, particularly elite writers. However, this publication offers immense value for new writers seeking to find their voices with guidance. Readers Hope serves as an entry point for beginners, allowing them to express themselves without strict stylistic rules. We encourage contributors to begin with small pieces of raw content and gradually enhance their skills. We only ask our writers to adhere to platform policies and refrain from harmful content, including defamation and hate speech. Plagiarism, of course, is not tolerated.

As we know, no one is born a writer. Yet, with a bit of time, effort, dedication, and support, anyone can become a blogger, storyteller, writer, and ultimately, a published author. Therefore, contributors can embark on their writing journey with small, manageable steps.

About Featured Collections

Our editors consistently highlight captivating, informative, and engaging stories. We have compiled a meta file containing all featured stories curated by our editors, accessible in this story titled: "Meta Collection of Featured Stories: Easy access to daily selected stories from engaging writers of ILLUMINATION — Volume 3–2022."

This meta collection also includes "Stories Chosen by Editors: Why ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications Feature Stories." Here are the latest curated collections by ILLUMINATION:

• Curated Collection #1
• Curated Collection #2
• Curated Collection #3
• Curated Collection #4
• Curated Collection #5
• Curated Collection #6
• Curated Collection #7
• Curated Collection #8
• Curated Collection #9
• A collection from SYNERGY
• Curated Collection #10
• Curated Collection #11
• Curated Collection #12
• Curated Collection #13
• Curated Collection #14

In addition, we have created multiple collections encompassing topics such as:

• Health & Fitness Collection
• Mental Health Collection
• How to Love and Relate
• The Power of Freelancing for Writers
• Do You Want to Become A Sexy Entrepreneur?
• The World Needs Passionate & Compassionate Leaders
• Education and Learning From Many Aspects
• Business Collection: A Mini MBA Bundle
• Featured Stories About "Writing" From The Top Writers of SYNERGY
• NFT Story Collection on ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications
• How Storytellers Articulate Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain
• Top Stories About Artificial Intelligence
• Top AI Stories on Technology Hits
• Collection of Featured Stories
• Stories on ILLUMINATION-Curated — All Volumes
• Technology, Business, Leadership, & Self-Improvement Stories
• Reading List #3 — Technology Hits
• Top 100 Trending Stories: at ILLUMINATION-Curated
• Testimonials for ILLUMINATION
• Introduction to New Writers
• Sample Book Chapters: Discover 70+ published authors on ILLUMINATION Book Chapters

Useful Resources for New Writers

We have compiled a collection of essential articles to guide our writers. Please check out and bookmark this resource: "Starter Kit for Writers of ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications," a one-stop-shop for beginners.

We create onboarding packs weekly for new writers. Attached is the latest version for those who joined our publications last week. These packs are invaluable for guiding new writers and facilitating connections.

Welcome: New Writers Introduction: Onboarding info for new contributors of ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION-Curated, ILLUMINATION's Mirror, ILLUMINATION Book Chapters, Technology Hits, and Readers Hope.

Writing Viral Stories

To support our writers, Dr. Mehmet Yildiz has compiled guidelines for crafting viral stories based on insights gained from reviewing over 100 viral stories in 2021. We hope some of your submissions achieve viral success in 2022.

Invitation to Create Personal Publications

Dr. Mehmet Yildiz has assisted many writers in establishing their own publications, leading to significant growth in their readership. Besides working with Illumination Integrated Publications, he has launched his own publication, Euphoria, to host personal stories. If you need assistance in creating your own publication, please reach out to him via Slack; he would be delighted to help.

Joining Vocal Media Writing Contests

We keep our writers informed about new writing challenges from Vocal Media. If you haven't yet joined Vocal Media, you can sign up through the link in this article. Additionally, repurposing your Medium articles on Vocal may provide further income opportunities for freelance writers. Our latest post discusses a recent writing contest by Vocal Media: "Why & How to Join Three Writing Competitions on Vocal."

Invitation to Potential Writers

Thank you for your support and contributions in 2021.

We wish you a prosperous, healthy, and fulfilling New Year.