Joe Young

Joined June 2022

118 stories

Bio

Blogger and freelance writer from the north-east coast of England

Achievements (1)

Honorable Mention in Absurdist Awakening Challenge

Stories (118)

Filter by community

Sort by (Optional)

A Bloody Nose for an Illicit Cigarette
I quit smoking over twenty years ago, but as a youngster, smoking on the sly caused me no end of trouble, mainly after I had been caught in the act by parents or teachers. But the most serious incident that happened to me regarding illicit smoking, occurred while I was living within the confines of a residential children’s home, where I’d ended up as a result of persistent truancy. On that occasion, smoking really was bad for my health.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions
Five Down Sides to Living by the Sea
I've lived on the coast for most of my life, and I visit my local beach several times a month, but I don't take it for granted. Because I've seen what being at the seaside means to those from land-locked counties, miles from the coast, who rarely get to dip their toes into the sea. A punk band from West Yorkshire came over one weekend, and they specifically asked to see the sea. As soon as we got to the beach they removed their shoes and socks, rolled up their trousers, and in they went, splashing and laughing. It was November.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Earth
My Collection of Early Spider-Man Comics
When I was in my early teens, I used to frequent a second-hand book and magazine shop in my town. In the window there were sleazy True Detective type magazines hanging from a string line by bulldog clips to tempt those who had a weakness for scantily clad women, but for my friend Stephen and me, the treasure lay inside the shop against the back wall.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Geeks
Pinball Wizardry? Not Quite
In the town where I live, there is a patch of grass where there once stood a wine bar that mysteriously caught fire one night, and burned down. When I was a child, that building had been a furniture showroom, but by the time I entered my teens it had transformed into a brightly-lit amusement arcade called The Leisure Centre — and I became an eager habitué.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions
The Spanish City
Yeah girl it looks so pretty to me Just like it always did Oh like the Spanish City to me When we were kids Check it out
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions
How to Speak Like a Geordie
If I am ever away from my native north-east England, my accent stands out. On hearing a Tyneside twang, the response of many people is to attempt the most famous, and overused saying in the Geordie phrase book, why aye, man, usually in an accent that bears no resemblance to that spoken by the good people of Newcastle.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Education
I Wrote an Episode of a BBC Radio Soap
Here is an account of what happened when I wrote an episode of a radio drama for the Roots Project at BBC Radio Newcastle. It may be of interest to those of you who are considering radio work, although this is not a blueprint of radio procedure.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Motivation
Small Time Charlies
When I reached my teens, and I began to live a more independent life, the need for money would crop up more often than it had in my pre-teen days. While I could usually turn to my parents for everyday expenses, such as youth club subscriptions or money for the cinema, the odd cash injection was sometimes called for, particularly when I took up smoking.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions
Our Son Took to Swimming Like a Cat to Water
It's a universal truth that raising a child brings regular milestones that are forever treasured. Which parent doesn't recall with great fondness their child's first steps and first words? Who doesn't smile at the recollection of that wobbly ten-yard ride on a bicycle unaided? And who doesn't sigh in pleasure when viewing those first-day-at-school photos that seem like they were taken only yesterday? Yep, parenting milestones are there to be savoured and revisited time and again for a lifetime.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Fiction
My Holiday Camp Faux Pas
For three summers, my family and I took our annual holiday in a camp at Cayton Bay, near Scarborough in North Yorkshire. This was a proper Hi De Hi place, from its bing-bong tannoy announcement that breakfast was being served in the dining hall, to the chorus of Goodnight Campers at the end of the night.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions
Things to Do in Denton When You're Dead
Introduction This story has been adapted from my original, which appeared in the compilation Radgepacket 6: Tales from the Inner Cities. The brief was for tales that featured some or all of the following: violence, sex, sleaze, crime, drugs and alcohol.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Filthy
When Children Were Encouraged to Smoke
Attitudes towards smoking have hardened considerably in recent years, particularly around children. Things were much different during my childhood though.
By Joe Young3 years ago in Confessions