Ralph Keyes

By Jillian Leslie

Remember the Bogeyman? Of course you do. When we were mere lads and lasses, many of us believed we were haunted by a personal Bogeyman who hid among our sneakers in the dark closet eager to pounce, moments after our parents bade us sweet dreams and closed the bedroom door. But we grew up. The Bogeyman faded into a bad memory. That's why it’s distressing to learn our childhood demons can and do resurface, whether we’re nine or ninety, the second we dip our quills into the inkwell. This time, though, Mommy and Daddy aren't around to fend off the monsters.

We begin our writing sessions with high hopes, having faith that by some miracle a muse will appear and whisper clever instructions in our ear, helping us to create Pulitzer worthy material. Often, though, the muse, a slippery creature, goes AWOL. So, instead of writing, we futz with file folders, play endless Solitaire hands, and shoot rubber bands at Dogbert’s rear end on our Dilbert wall calendars.

Of course, unproductive days never happen to writers like John Steinbeck, Sue Grafton, or Pat Conroy. They, after all, have cranked out acclaimed bestsellers. Do these writing aces quake with heebie-jeebies before starting new writing projects? Why should they? They’re topnotch. Seasoned. Confident. A blank screen is as foreign to them as on-stage placidity is to Robin Williams. Anxiety’s reserved only for neophytes, right? Absolutely wrong. Don't take my word for it, ask a writing pro who knows all about fear: Ralph Keyes, a successful author, lecturer and researcher, who's romanced the written word professionally for more than a quarter century.

Keyes is endlessly fascinated with the human condition. As he'll tell you, "I've always thought of myself as a general practitioner of a writer--one who does every kind of social diagnosis."

Fear pestered Keyes from word one. He spent many wide-eyed nights writing his first book, We the Lonely People: Searching for Community. He wondered if he had the grit to write yet another book. But Keyes is an intrepid sort. His determination to write overrode his fear. To date, he has ten published books to his credit, on a wide variety of topics, with more books on the way. His tenacity brought him a fabulous perk: One of his books, Is There Life After High School?, was turned into a Broadway musical, which went on to play throughout the U.S. as well as in England.

Keyes's efforts aren’t limited to writing books. He's penned more than 60 published articles for top glossies. Swimming in other waters, he's chatted with top talk show mavens on noted TV programs such as Oprah, Donahue, Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show and 20/20. In the radio world, he's spoken several times on the acclaimed NPR program, All Things Considered. When he comes up for air, this Ohio author and writing teacher, also makes time to help develop affordable housing in his town of Yellow Springs. His first priority, though, is his family. He revels in time spent with his college sweetheart and wife of 35 years, Muriel, their sons David and Scott, and shepherd mix, Tica.

You'd think with this writing experience Keyes would feel at ease with all aspects of his chosen profession. He found, though, no matter how many books or articles he had published, anxiety still mocked him. He decided to use his researching skills (which he developed when he worked as a newspaperman) to find out if others also suffered fear as their unwelcome sidekick. The result? The birth of his acclaimed book, The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear.

Keyes won't offer any new age cures to banish your ghouls, no panacea, no easy way out. "Anxiety," Keyes says, "is a normal, manageable, and even a useful part of the writing process."

Throughout The Courage to Write, Keyes, who is delightfully accessible and frank, gives us much to ponder by citing examples of his own writing battles, "page fright" he calls it. To punctuate the point about fear's universality, he liberally peppers his book with surprisingly candid admissions from famous authors, who admit to their own writing struggles and insecurities. For example, Fran Lebowitz laments, "It's really scary just getting to the desk–-we're talking now five hours. My mouth gets dry, my heart beats fast. I react psychologically the way other people react when the plane loses an engine."

Though Keyes contends there’s no abracadabra banishment for our fears, he doesn't leave us dangling; instead, he empowers us with suggestions. He breaks the elements of fear into understandable morsels. Then, he offers techniques to apply to our writing, practical ideas such as writing our truths, at any cost; taking creative risks, and seeking support from other like souls.

By the time you finish the book (a book you won’t want to end), you'll feel comforted to realize you're in distinguished company. The knowledge that page fright happens to Pulitzer prize winners as well as to newbies will give you the resolve to press on.

We don't need our parents anymore to eradicate the Bogeyman. We have Ralph Keyes to help us.

Relevant Links:

• Author's Web site.
• Order The Courage to Write from Amazon.com.