Books – Patricia J. Parsons

What I Learned from Pippi Longstocking

Posted on 7 Jan 20257 Jan 2025 by Patricia J. Parsons

You might have to be of a certain age to remember her. Pippi Longstocking was a great friend of mine as a child. Of course, like any aspiring writer, many of my friends lived between the covers of the books I cherished. Pippi was one such friend—and a friend who taught me a lot about myself, who entertained me, and who, perhaps most importantly, inspired me, even though some of that inspiration wouldn’t find its way into the pages of my own books for many years.

Published several decades even before my own birth, Pippi was the title character in Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren’s series of books. Pippi was a nine-year-old girl with superhuman physical strength, extraordinarily unconventional, fiercely independent and a particular disdain for pompous adults. In today’s terms, she would probably have been called quirky. She was a character unlike any ever created before her and Lindgren herself has said, “Everything great that has ever happened in this world happened first in somebody’s imagination.” But the truth is that even imagination needs to be fed.

Here are some key lessons I learned from Pippi.

Unique characters are compelling characters. Pippi is extraordinary—a strong, independent girl who defies societal norms. Her quirky traits, like her incredible physical strength and her freckled face, make her unforgettable. Writers can take inspiration from this by giving their characters unexpected qualities or contradictions that set them apart.
Showing the reader rather than telling the reader leads to a more engaged reader. Lindgren doesn’t simply describe Pippi as adventurous or generous; she shows it through Pippi’s actions—like hosting wild tea parties, standing up to bullies, and sharing her wealth with friends. Writers can aim to reveal character traits through behaviour and dialogue rather than exposition.
You can address serious themes with humour. This has been key for me in recent years. In Pippi’s world, the tone of the story may be funny, but there is always a serious theme: loneliness, loss, and societal expectations. My own recent fiction has been, on the surface, satirical and funny. However, the themes are much more profound for readers who care to look.
The setting can be a character. Pippi’s home, Villa Villekulla, mirrors her personality: colourful, chaotic, and full of surprises. I have learned to make the setting an extension of a character in some instances and a character on its own in others. When I wrote We Came from Away, I left little doubt but that the island of Newfoundland is a character unto itself.

I still have a copy of Pippi Longstocking on my bookshelf—in hardback. And I still cherish it. What’s your favourite childhood book?

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Books, Fiction Writing, Nonfiction Writing, Self-Publishing

Write and Publish a Book in a Year: It Can Be Done

Posted on 10 Aug 2024 by Patricia J. Parsons

Three years ago, I started a little YouTube channel for writers—or, more precisely, aspiring writers. More than thirty years ago, I began teaching writing to university students. And before that, I started writing—and publishing. These three elements of my writing and publishing career have finally come together in my newest book.

Over the past decade, I’ve become increasingly concerned about the seemingly uncountable number of people who are writing books—and publishing them, for better or for worse. Many of these would-be writers have no one other than Facebook writing groups to answer their questions. Many of those people in Facebook (and LinkedIn) groups either have little more knowledge and expertise than they do or, worse, are only there to try to sell their services to unsuspecting writers.

There is little doubt in my mind that every new writer could benefit from a writing tutor, teacher, guide or even sherpa for this journey because it is, indeed, a journey. And that’s just how I’ve framed my new book.

One Year to Author: Your Roadmap Guide to Writing and Publishing Your Book in Twelve Months is a compilation of the lessons I’ve learned in almost forty years of writing and publishing. It’s written in a workbook format so that you can use it as your roadmap as you begin to understand what you need to know to write and publish in the next twelve months—and actually accomplish your goal.

Here’s a glimpse of what it’s all about.

One Year to Author on Amazon…

Backstory, Books, Fiction Writing

Novel Backstory: The Seeds of Inspiration

Posted on 18 Feb 2024 by Patricia J. Parsons

Every time I read a novel, I’m intrigued about the source of the inspiration and how the story developed in the writer’s mind during the writing. My own process has evolved over the years to the point where I consider myself to be in the role of transcriptionist as my characters take over and force me to tell their story. I used to plan everything and try to tell my stories. That didn’t work for me.

My most recent book had an interesting genesis, and how the underlying premise evolved might be interesting for other writers – or even my readers. I know it’s interesting to me! I wrote about it on my style blog, and if you’re interested, surf away…

Is Sewing a Domestic Art?