We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darla Medeck-Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Darla, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
As a children’s book author, I am always looking for inspiration for new story ideas. Each book I write contains a science lesson, social skills lesson and learning patience. By using a variety of outdoor resources, such as my backyard, a field, forest, river, lake or, when not in my backyard, the ocean and mountains, I see so many curious things first hand. I have been known to climb rocks and trees to get a good viewpoint. To experience child-like wonder, I get down on my hands and knees to see what a child might see, touch and hear. Having the opportunity to work in pre-school to elementary classrooms provides ideas of the social skills the teachers work on with their students. And, if you have ever been around children and some adults, you know lessons on patience always need reinforcing! Networking is crucial to staying creative. Fostering relationships with other authors, artists, editors, publishers or publishing entities is a key component to continue improving the product.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
At this stage in life I have hung up my working career, I am very fortunate to now focus on my writing career and fulfilling my own childhood dream of writing children’s books. After self-publishing my first book in a series of three, my illustrator who is also my very talented daughter-in-law, was unable to create the illustrations for the next two stories. I continued writing the stories while trying to think of ways to pivot from the original format and still create and interesting, educational and entertaining books for kids and their adults. Through networking and a side hustle, I was introduced to a local illustrator who is willing and excited to take the challenge on! Color me excited to be able to share that by Spring 2024, the next book in the series will be out for pre-sale orders.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I am always on the lookout for future story ideas. Writing comes very naturally for me and I love teaching children about nature. Advice I would give to someone starting their endeavor, is to use the skills that you love and come easily for you. There is enough to think about and do while starting out to use up your energy and patience:) Research your competition well. I try to read as many children’s books by others authors and illustrators as possible to get a feel for what is already written, the style and the artwork. If you are self-publishing, I highly recommend working, as I did, with a business coach who is also a self-published author to get an inside view of the industry. Be ready to market your product, build a website, set up a sales platform, and pivot! Stubbornness is one of my less desirable traits, depending on who you talk to but is key when it comes to finding ways, apart from your original idea and plan, to carry your dream over the mountains, through the rivers, down into the valley, out of the woods and up, again.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Marketing is a challenge for me. Generally speaking, I have always been a private person who is comfortable staying in the background doing my job and seeking attention from others. That said, promoting my books on social media, keeping up on my blog postings, updating my website and creating eye-catching Instagram posts is a struggle. A necessary evil, so-to-speak. I am currently working on a plan to create and schedule the posting of book promotions and blogs in an effort to not lose the momentum I have achieved in website book sales, offers to do book readings and signings, as well as having copies of my book on indie bookstore shelves.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dmjohnsonauthor.net
- Instagram: @dmjohnsonauthor
- Facebook: DM Johnson Author
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darla-medeck-johnson-4b304820a
Image Credits
Darla Medeck-Johnson
