Author discusses writing with students

NORTH AUGUSTA -- A select handful of Paul Knox Middle School got to enjoy a catered lunch and a talk with a local author Thursday at the school's Lunch and Learn event.

Random House author Christine Hurley Deriso spoke to some 25 students invited to the Lunch and Learn event Thursday. Students were chosen by teacher and librarian recommendation as ones with an aptitude or interest in writing and communications careers.

Deriso is the author of "Do-Over," "The Right Under Club," and "Talia Talk" with Random House, and the picture storybook "Dreams to Grow On," published by Illumination Arts.

"I always wanted to be a writer, and from the time I was old enough to write I was always making up stories," Deriso told the students. "I got a journalism degree, thinking that it's still writing stories, just ones that are true. The thing about writing for fun, sometimes the ideas aren't flowing and you get stuck, but when you have a newspaper job you can't get stuck. You don't have the luxury of writer's block, you have to write when you're on a deadline whether you feel like it or not. So that job got me in the habit of writing every day."

Deriso offered the students five hints for the writing -- or non-writing -- life: be an avid reader; be an observer of life's little details; be a lifelong learner; be flexible; and be clear in the expression of your message, whether written or spoken.

"I used to write for magazines, and an editor I had told me her first assignment was to write a book on how to cut children's hair. She'd never cut anyone's hair, had no children, she started with a knowledge base of zero, but she didn't want to pass up the chance to publish a book, so she learned," Deriso said. "Always be willing to learn about what you don't know; consider it a challenge. My day job is at a hospital, and I edit a magazine for its employees. I have to write about what people do at the hospital, and a lot of what they do is complicated -- it's literally brain surgery, in some cases. So I have to learn enough about it to be accurate, and then I try to make it interesting to a reader who doesn't know about it either."

Deriso read excerpts from two of her books, "Do-Over" and "Talia Talks," to illustrate two different approaches to writing the quiet drama of the middle school cafeteria -- a topic her audience was more than familiar with.

This was the third Lunch and Learn of the year, in a program sponsored by Shaw AREVA MOX Services, Public Education Partners, the City of North Augusta and Wal-Mart's Whiskey Road location in Aiken, according to PKMS career specialist Helen Richard.

"We look at our career inventory results for areas our students are interested in, and plan our lunches around that," Richard said.

"Our goal is to get our students thinking about their career plans," said career specialist Bridget Kearse in opening the program.

Thursday's event was catered by Honey Baked Ham, and included as special guests Area 2 Schools assistant superintendent Rosie Berry, and Diane Mangiante of Public Education Partners. Sixth grade student Brianna Finley read the poem "You Can Be Whatever You Want to Be" by Donna Levine to close the program.

Deriso donated 25 copies of "Do-Over" to the PKMS library; they will go to the students at the luncheon to read for a weekly book discussion group, according to Richard. Deriso said she plans to return to visit the discussion group in about a month.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.