A conversation with Linda C. Wisniewski, author of the memoir Off Kilter.
Thank you for talking to us, Linda

Did writing the book bring you any form of closure?
Most definitely. I had been writing these stories over a period of three or four years. Organizing them into the book enabled me to see the larger pattern of my life. Although sometimes painful, the process was healing. The stories don't make me cry anymore, although they do that for some of my readers!

How often in life did you feel a sense of self-worth and happiness only to have it disappear again?
More often as a child and young adult, less as I grew older and realized I was responsible for my own happiness.

How did you manage your scoliosis, or did you just accept it as something more you deserved (wrongly)?
I pretty much accepted it when young; remember, suffering was a good thing, back then! It was mainly a cosmetic issue, finding clothes that concealed my curve - meaning sack dresses, no belts, baggy tops... In my thirties, it became painful enough to interfere with my life. An orthopedic specialist send me for physical therapy. The exercises I learned there helped strengthen the muscles supporting my spine. I also tried rolfing and chiropractic. Everything helped a little, but yoga is my mainstay now. Daily yoga practice over the past five years has amazingly reduced my side and back pain. I recommend Iyengar, and Elise Browning Miller's DVD, Yoga for Scoliosis.

There were several instances when signs of your independent spirit broke through, were you able to recognize that at the time?
Yes, I did, but I felt guilty and alone. These are the times when as kids we wonder if we were adopted. One day, the king and queen who are your real parents will rescue you from these dolts who are raising you.

I still wrestle at times with that feeling of lack of self-worth and out of sync, was there any one instance in your life that stands out as an epiphany so to speak?
Well, there were lots of little incidents - sometimes the Universe has to hit us upside the head several times before we get the message - but a big one is on page 13, the day I confronted my father directly. I realized then that there was nothing I could do to change him or to make my mother stand up for herself, and that I had to focus on my own happiness.

After a book is published, it is too late to return to it to revise or edit anything you wish to change.  If you could revise one detail of this book now, what would it be?
My book is not self-published; there might be more chances to change things if it was. I am happy with my publisher, Pearlsong Press, because they worked very closely with me on editing and revisions before the book was published, things I found like typos and correcting dates etc.
If I could revise anything, I might change the one epigraph in the book written by a man. I try to honor and celebrate women writers, but I couldn't find one by a woman that fit as well. And it was brought to my attention by another woman writer, so I stuck with it.

What do you think makes a good writer good?
It's sometimes called "writing from the heart." No amount of artful sentence construction can draw a reader in if the writer is not personally invested in the work. Writers who take risks with exposing their hopes and fears, and who take the time to reflect on what their story means, whether fiction or memoir, are the good writers.

If you could give one copy of your book to someone, who would it be and why?
Let's see...Oprah! And then, I'd give one to an abused woman who is beginning to suspect it's not her fault. And then, I'd give one to a girl with scoliosis...
It's a tough question for me, because I didn't write the book with an audience in mind. I wrote it first as a way to heal myself by shaping my experiences into a story, and second, to bring my voice out, knowing how so many women are silenced.  

One of the questions on the mind of young writers is how to break into print.  What can you tell aspiring writers about the process of publication and acquiring an agent? What advice would you give to new writers?
My first advice is to write, write, write. Then write some more. We really do get better with practice. Then find a group to give you some feedback on your writing. Give yourself the time to do good work. Don't be in a hurry to get published. Have something to say and say it as well as you possibly can.
I don't have an agent; when I was ready to send Off Kilter out into the world, I searched the Internet and books like Writer's Market for publishers of women's memoirs.
I highly recommend joining an organization that offers workshops and support The International Women's Writing Guild and The Story Circle Network  have been wonderful additions to my writing life.