Greetings, fellow bookworms, poetry lovers, writing enthusiasts and readers! My name is Francesca Thorscott, and I am the biggest bookworm you can find. So much so that my main Christmas present last year was a book- or, more specifically, the manuscript for my book, that I have been writing for years and didn’t even know it!
That sounds a bit confusing out of context, so let me give you an explanation.
Buttons, Doodahs and Wotnots is a book of my poetry – written from age eight up to age twelve – I’m thirteen now. You see, I had been writing some poetry before then, but when I was eight I became homeschooled. That doesn’t mean that I get to have fun writing all day, though- I’m still taking on a lot of schoolwork!
Now I’m taking GCSEs and A-Levels, but at that time I was enjoying my key-stage three work. So, my wonderful, brilliant Mum was teaching me. However, sometimes she would simply ask me to write a poem, or a short story, sometimes with a picture from the internet to give me inspiration. That was when we realised how good I was at putting pen to paper- and other people saw it too. That’s why Buttons, Doodahs and Wotnots was secretly compiled, illustrated and copyrighted as a gift to me. Now I can share it with you!
But why do you love it, I hear you ask? (Well, I don’t hear you, actually, because I’m sat at home, writing this, and you’re reading a magazine. Therefore, I don’t expect an answer, making that a rhetorical question, -a great literary device, don’t you think?) The truth is, I’ve always loved to read and write- I’ve been pouring over books since before I went to school! Stories enthral me, and I can often be found with my nose buried in my book, immersed in the world within, but I’m also fascinated by rhythm and verse. It intrigues me how scratchy and cold letters such as C and CH, but also T and CK lead the brain to unpleasant thoughts, but smooth and easy sounds with letters like S, L, M and F lull the audience into comfort. S is very versatile though- It can be used as Soft or Serpentine, making it comforting or scary, depending how you use it. (Try saying the descriptive words I used to yourself- can you pick out the smooth and scratchy sounds? Hey look! There’s that rhetorical question again! It may help to use one for yourself to get better grasp of their placement.) But that’s just how you use the letters- rhythm can be a useful tool too. When I write poems, I just let the words take me where they want to go- but sometimes I have to change the route slightly. You see, I might have written ‘Where the lane meets the road’, but that won’t work in a nine- syllable line (which means a line with nine different pieces of word), so we need to change it to ‘Where the dusty lane cuts through the road’. The rhyming structure can make things very interesting too- I’ve had to reconfigure entire verses just because one syllable won’t rhyme at the end! Even though I don’t go to school, as I mentioned, I am always interested in new things to learn, because I love to know how the world works. Besides, without fact, what is there to compliment our fiction?
My education started a long time before school started- in fact, I was top of the class when it did! I went to Nursery in two different places, which, in hindsight could have been an early sign that it just wasn’t going to work for me. At the second place I went to, however, most of the children would one day go to the same primary school as me. It was fun, for a while, but it wasn’t challenging. I grew bored. I won’t name her, but the new teacher we had was a big encouragement to me. My amazing family have always supported me, but to hear it from someone else was wonderful. She even asked me for my autograph in advance, so that one day she could say that she taught me at school. I liked her, and her encouragement may have been just the thing I needed.
I find writing poems relaxing. Not just the reading them, letting the mind rumble along with the pattern the words fall into, but writing them too. A poem can be about anything- it’s so free! David Walliams once told me to always keep an eye out for good ideas. Since then I often write a note in my little red book, apparently randomly to everyone else, because of a word used or a subject mentioned, perhaps a thought I’ve had…. or even thought itself (That’s called foreshadowing; when you mention something yet unseen- another fun technique for you to try!). I suppose that must be why I’ve written enough to make a book! Speaking of, I’d better leave it there. Homework to do, poems to write, chocolate milk to drink. Thanks, for reading, Cheerio!
(c) Francesca Thorscott
About Buttons, Doodahs & Wotnots: A Young Poet’s View of Today’s World
Inside you will find a treasure chest of poetry written by an up and coming young and passionate writer who possesses an aptitude for delight and the courage to be true to her convictions.
Francesca Thorscott’s first book gives the reader an insight into her sense of humour and quirkiness with such poems as ‘Twas the Plight Before Christmas’ and ‘Did You Know?’. She showcases her emotional viewpoint of situations and hidden moral with a poem such as ‘The Ice Castle’, also a sense of pride, tradition and sentiment within her “Wartime Words” poem and similar works. Through her words, you will discover how Francesca has written every piece with careful consideration, enjoyment and passion. She writes for pleasure but hopes to encourage, enthuse and inspire others through her own love of poetry and word craft.
Order your copy online here.
