Geri Jewell - Im Walking as Straight as I Can: Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond

I have wanted to write my autobiography for many years, but it was difficult getting started. For a while, I thought it might be easier to write it as fiction, and so I wrote it as a novel called The Remarkable Journey of Jenny Gem. It was going to be a story based on my life. I was about a third of the way along with Jenny Gem when I met Ted Nichelson.

Ted and I became acquainted through my friend, Susan Olsen. After discovering that Ted had collaborated on Susans book, Love to Love You Bradys, I asked Ted if he would be interested in helping me with my book. Ted and I had wonderful chemistry, and he had the ability to guide and direct me in a way that brought my real-life story onto the page. I came to trust him completely, telling him what really happened in the life of Jenny Gem. I explained to Ted how painful certain things were, and that it was easier to write my story in the third person.

Ted contacted his publisher, ECW Press, and everyone agreed that my book would have a greater impact if it was a first-person memoir. So, the first thing we had to do was dissect my novel, removing everything that was fictional and writing the truth about Geri Jewell.

Ted was a godsend as my writing partner. Although I was confident in my writing skills, I knew nothing about putting together a book proposal. I learned that even the best book in the world is not going to get through the door of a publisher without a good proposal first. Together, Ted and I wrote the proposal for this book. As exciting as it was when Teds publisher accepted the proposal, it was only the beginning. In the next year, I wrote almost daily, often for six to ten hours at a time.

Working with Ted couldnt have been more perfect. He never once, in all the months that I wrote with him, took my words and made them his. He allowed me to tell my story in my own words, only pointing out the times when he felt I was not clear, or too wordy, or when I needed to write more. The period of false starts was over, and Ted helped me to keep moving forward even when I felt there were some things that were just too painful to write about. Ted believed in me, and reminded me that the most important thing was that I believed in myself and was not afraid to tell the truth.

Because of my spirituality, it was very important that I was always aware of my intent. I did not want my book to be a trashy tell-all that could potentially hurt other people, but I had to find a way to write about what some people did that ended up shaping my life. I chose not use everyones real name because I did not want to hurt family members and friends who are in their lives today.

I believe forgiveness is so important, and what was done to hurt me, whether intentional or not, does not matter. What matters is that all of us learn from our experiences so we can forgive ourselves and move forward. Writing this book healed me in many ways. I have no anger or regrets about the choices I made or anyone else made. If we grow and evolve through our many missteps in life, I believe the pain and suffering are worth it.

I also believe that in order to survive hardship and adversity, we must have a healthy sense of humor about oneself and the world around us. I have incorporated my sense of humor throughout my book, and I hope that the readers enjoy the lightheartedness I use to tell some stories that were quite painful at the time. I could not have written this book without my sense of humor I would have given up years ago, and the stories that I held in my heart and mind would have never made it to print. I truly hope you enjoy reading about the journey that I have taken in life. I was born with cerebral palsy, but I can only be a victim of it if I choose to be. I have been very blessed in life, and I dont take anything for granted, including having this opportunity to tell my own story through my own words.

Geri Jewell, January 2011