The Shame Chronicles, Desire, and Other Things That Scare Me

One of my writing groups was selected to read at Litquake next month with our chosen topic: The Shame Chronicles. After spending so much time writing and talking about shame, I’ve started noticing how rarely shame exists alone. It tangles itself up with guilt, desire, intimacy, vulnerability, secrecy, voice, and the body.

I was meeting with a mentor recently and thinking about ways to expand my creative life. One idea was to sign up for a stand-up comedy class, so I’ll be doing that this fall. Another was to teach something that scares me a little.

Even the phrase “erotic writing” makes me want to hide under a table. But I wonder how many other women might be interested in writing more honestly about longing, pleasure, inhibition, fantasy, and the things we have trouble saying out loud.

So maybe this is my first tiny experiment in moving toward that.

If that kind of writing makes you both curious and a little nervous, I’d love to know.