Carol Townend
Bio
Fiction, Horror, Sex, Love, Mental Health, Children's fiction and more. You'll find many stories in my profile. I don't believe in sticking with one Niche! I write, but I also read a lot too.
Stories (639/0)
Being me and Being a Writer
I am a student, writer, carer, and wife. Before this, I was also a parent, student, and person with disabilities (some of which I still have). I was unconfident, always thinking I couldn't do anything, even though I was always told I was good at many forms of writing at school. It was only after my children grew up that I realized I had a need to be able to do something with my life. I was unable to find work because of disruptions to my education, mental health, and because many employers were discriminatory due to my learning disabilities and my mental health problems, leaving me feeling useless and incapable. It has taken me from my teens up to now (44) to decide where I as a person wanted to be in life, and what I wanted to achieve. I chose writing, and my passion for that has developed in more ways than I could have ever wished for.
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Motivation
Learning How to Enjoy Sex again
I had dealt with being a victim of rape so many times, that after a while I put walls up, refusing to let anybody get near me, even females. Sex was bad, dirty, always violent and whether that person loved me or not, I started to perceive all sex as assault. I couldn't bring myself to see any sexual relationship as loving or fun anymore, because every time I did, I got hurt, and here I want to reinforce that I was raped by both men and women which caused my fear to double, and for many years, I cut both out of my life, wanting to be alone for the rest of my life so that I didn't end up used as some female adult dirt-bag.
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Viva
We all have color in our Personalities
I'm walking down the street, and there is a person walking down the same street. That person is dressed in gothic clothing and has many tattoos. People are horrified, calling him names such as 'druggie, Psycho, crazy' and more. They are bullying him for simply dressing in his own style. I have come across this on a severe level in my young past when I started listening to different types of music such as rock, metal, reggae, dance, and rave. I was used to wearing t-shirts that represented all of my most favourite bands, and I was deemed to be an outcast for it and treated like I wasn't human. Of course, we all have our own likes and dislikes, and we all have our own tastes, but does this mean that we as humans have to treat another human in degrading ways just because we 'don't fit their groups?' Shouldn't people be allowed to just be themselves? It makes one wonder what it really means to be human. In the gothic world, people are labelled, all kinds of different things, and most assume they are violent horrible people, but I have many friends who enjoy the gothic scene, many who have children and have very caring natures, who wouldn't dream of hurting other people or doing drugs. Of course, there does seem to be some significance in certain groups where behaviours like this seem to be prominent, however, is this truly attached to those people, or is it attached to other problems in their personal lives?
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Psyche
Reading For Mental Health
I read alot, both online and offline. I read many different types, and I read a good amount of stories on Vocal. One of the good things about reading is that you can read with or without purpose, and I find a balance of both is really healthy for me. My days can vary from busy to boring, especially on those days when I am stuck at home with not much to do. I decided to get around this by including reading with my job as a writer. Obviously like many of you, I do have chores and I go out because I like to try and keep myself active too, but there are those in-between days when the weather is horrible or everything I need to do has been finished, and then I go out of my mind with boredom and I hate that! I also have some major issues with insomnia, and if I am suddenly wide awake with nothing to do for hours, that can be more frustrating than insomnia itself, so I like to pull out my kindle or laptop, and set it to dim light and read until I am tired. If you do this, it is important to dim the light as a brightly lit screen will make you feel more awake, rather than sleep.
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Psyche
We saw a Real Ghost and we are not joking.
It was back in 2012, and I was staying in a flat temporarily while I finished some work I was doing for myself. I had never come face to face with a ghost up to that point, and like many, I didn't believe they existed. I had been working all morning, and I was tired, so I took myself off to bed around ten p.m. which was unusual for me, as I usually stay up pretty late. I had a bath, watched television and went to bed. I would have slept well, except there was a very faint blue shimmer in my room by my dressing table, and I couldn't work out what it was. There was a high attic window in my room, so I assumed it was just light shining through that as I didn't have curtains. That night I went to sleep, but I was woken around 11.3o p.m. by a bright light around my bed. I froze startled! I could just make out the silhouette of a young woman wearing black, who appeared to hold a white scroll or notebook in her hand. She came right to the side of my bed and leaned over me holding the scroll or notebook in front of me. I put it down to a bad dream, but I was unable to move or speak for ten minutes. In a cold sweat and shaking, I waited for it to pass, then I turned the light on and made a drink before going back to bed. This time, I didn't sleep for a while, and the same thing happened again! the same silhouette with the scroll or notebook was right by my bed!
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Horror
I'm still learning about my Sexuality
I knew I liked boys and girls at school, though I hid it and covered it up for all my school life, afraid of what the others would think. During the time when I went to school, being part of the LBTQ communities was pretty much dismissed, ridiculed, and outcasted by those around me. I was also sexually abused at school, and severely bullied, so for myself, it was easier to keep my 'other side' trapped in a cage instead of showing people who I truly was and facing more bullying for being bi-sexual. Of course, as I got to those later years of puberty, the attraction grew stronger, but I stayed under the umbrella of 'heterosexual' instead, because that felt safer for me than coming out. I did find myself extremely attracted to both boys and girls at school, and that became more obvious once I reached around aged 14. I also found it difficult coming out and telling family, because my family life was quite difficult and I was worried about what they would think.
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Humans
Not Everyone Will Like Your Stories, but You Should Write Them Anyway!
There is always a story inside our heads, whether we are busy or sitting on the couch bored. There is always one that we creators want to read or write, whether it is sitcoms, romance, adventure, a life story, a steamy novel (hey! look in Dirty, my husband thought I was innocent until he read my stories in there!!) or something boring or full of gossip. Sit in your lounge, or lie in your bed, what happens? Well, I try to go to sleep at night, however, you can guarantee I will end up on Vocal, reading or writing one story, or I'll have my head superglued to my kindle, and what I read...well mmm!... I'll leave that to your imagination. What I write...well that's something that can bore people one minute and shock them the next!
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Motivation
Tony
I stood by the road in shock. We had been trying to stop your dad from drink-driving, but it was too late. He was too far gone for us to stop him from getting in that car. You were determined to follow him, but it's ok, I understand; you were trying to protect your dad. Any caring son would have done that, but I wasn't prepared for the car crash that followed There was a sudden screech off wheel's, followed by a loud crash. I shut my eyes and refused to look, when I opened them again there were police and ambulance services surrounding you. I froze, heartbroken with tears streaming down my face. "How could he do that to his own son?" You would have asked me to forgive him for being an alcoholic, and I'm sorry but I just can't. He destroyed your life, your mum's life and, your ten- year old sisters life, and he left me heartbroken for many long years.
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Psyche
Romancing the Wild
Natalie was running. She had no idea that she was running, but she did know this happened every time there was a full moon. She ran through the forest, taking in the scenery of dark trees, following every scent, and jumping streams and rivers. She ran for hours; she was tired, but her instincts told her not to stop. She covered 12 miles of forest, then suddenly she stopped behind a tree, feeling exhausted. She was just drifting off when she got a sudden overwhelming feeling that somebody was watching her. She could sense it, both in her mind and in her body. The feeling was overwhelming to a point where it woke her up, and she started running again, even though all she wanted to do was sleep. She used all her senses, checking every single nook and cranny of the forest, but she couldn't see anyone.
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Filthy
Triangles of Love
It was a really frustrating night, sat in Carmen's Bar with Leo and Tammy. Ruby could almost feel the heat radiating between her legs as she sat there. She was really confused by this feeling. She had dated both men and women, of whom she found very attractive, and she had even dated Leo on more than one occasion, thinking that she had fallen in love with him. But was she in love with him? That was a question that went through her mind more than once. She eyed Leo, then Tammy. Tammy was dressed in a very slinky red dress with a v-neck, showing her gorgeous breasts and delicate legs, complete with tiny red shoes that just let her dainty feet poke through. Ruby had always thought Tammy to be beautiful, but she felt like she never really noticed her until now. She felt that the women she had dated in the past had been some kind of experiment with her sexuality, and she had lost interest in them fast. They were gorgeous, but she couldn't connect with them on an emotional level. She tried to shrug the attraction to her friend off. 'we have been friends for years, and this has never happened.' She told herself quietly, still staring at her friend as she had never seen her before. Ruby needed an excuse to get out of there, this was getting far too much and the heat between them almost scorched her.
By Carol Townend3 years ago in Filthy