Imagine a Body
An Erotic Writing Exercise
Last week, 20 members of the JOUISSANCE community gathered at Tenderbooks for an evening dedicated to the art of erotic writing. Led by Susanna Davies Crook—artist, curator, writer, and author of Les Mains Négatives, published by JOUISSANCE—the workshop invited attendees to explore language, intimacy, and imagination. Words were shared, thoughts revealed, and a few bottles of champagne enjoyed.
The room was full and the waiting list long, but the words can travel–Susanna’s prompts are below for those who couldn’t join, ready to be explored at home.
Meditation
Drop into the body. Soften or close down the eyes. Take a deep breath in, let it go. Deep breath in, release. Inhale into the belly and let go. From this space of relaxation, drop the awareness into the soles of the feet. Pass this awareness up from the soles, to the ankles, to the calves, relaxing and releasing as you go. Past the thighs and the groin, into the lower belly and hips, into the ribs and mid back, into the heart and shoulders, the biceps and elbows, the forearms and wrists, the fingertips. The shoulder blades and neck, the throat and voicebox, the chin and jaw, the ears and forehead. The space between the eyebrows. The crown of the head. Breathe into the space above the head, and exhale.
Let the breath cascade down through the feet into the earth.
Imagine a body in front of you
Still with the eyes soft or closed, begin to imagine a body you know very well. Ideally a body you have some desire for, it can be yours or someone else’s. And begin to pan across that body in great detail. Starting at the feet, as if your mind's eye were a camera slowly tracking. Or an artist studying for a sketch.
warm up exercise, part i
Begin to write this body and continue for 15 minutes. This should be free writing so the pen should not leave the page. If you get stuck, write the last word you wrote until you have the next thought.
Half-way through, you have the option to add context, detail, or touch into this description.
warm up exercise, Part II
This time think about your relationship to that body. Think about any adjectives you have used, and then pick an object or animal that you think they could describe. This is an exercise in metaphor. Write this object or animal into a scene and yourself in relation to it.
Main Exercise
This exercise was given to me at our Write Club by writer, performer and sex worker Joana Nastari and was how I began the text for Les Mains Négatives.
Think of a time when you wanted to touch, or fuck, or be with someone, but couldn’t for whatever reason. Write that scene.
Extra Credit
Write a scene where those two people do have sex, whether that eventually happened or not. Real or imagined.
Reading list
- By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart
- Mercury by Ariana Reines
- Unmastered: A Book on Desire, Most Difficult to Tell by Katherine Angel
- And all of Duras
Featured Product
The Collector, Vol. I
Jouissance Diary
"It was while writing a Diary that I discovered how to capture living moments," Anaïs Nin wrote. "In the Diary I only wrote of what interested me genuinely, what I felt most strongly at the moment, and I found this fervour, this enthusiasm produced a vividness which often withered in the formal work. Improvisation, free association, obedience to mood, impulse, brought forth countless images, portraits, descriptions, impressionistic sketches, symphonic experiments, from which I could dip at any time for material."
In tribute to Anaïs Nin, one of our foremost inspirations for Jouissance, our DIARY captures our most treasured moments, our obsessions and preoccupations, our research and the lessons we learn, and the work of our cherished friends and collaborators.
Customer Care
Newsletter
We want to write you letters. Sign up to join our circle and receive 10% off a 50ml fragrance.
Jouissance London LTD Made in the UK
© 2024 Jouissance London Ltd. All rights reserved.