Author: Gareth Ellis

Writer and player of things.

The First Story You Finish Will Change You – Celebrating the Importance of Finishing, Not Perfection

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

Every writer has scraps of stories lying around. Half-started drafts, notebooks full of beginnings, that one chapter you wrote years ago that you still kind of like. I’ve got folders of the stuff. Ideas that caught fire for a few days and then fizzled. Stories that seemed like the best thing I’d ever come up … Continue reading The First Story You Finish Will Change You – Celebrating the Importance of Finishing, Not Perfection

Digging Deeper: Research Beyond the University Walls

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

Research at University: The Foundations When I think about research at university, I picture myself surrounded by open books and tabs of academic databases, scribbling notes in the margins of articles while glancing at the clock to make sure I stay on track. The goals are usually clear and structured: find a handful of reliable … Continue reading Digging Deeper: Research Beyond the University Walls

Barnsworth Bliss: A Daft, Brilliant Slice of Northern Comedy Gaming (Review)

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

Thank Goodness You're Here! is an adventure video game released on August 1, 2024, for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. I’ll tell you what, I’ve not played owt quite like Thank Goodness You’re Here! in years. It’s one of them games where you sit down, thinking you’ll just have a quick go … Continue reading Barnsworth Bliss: A Daft, Brilliant Slice of Northern Comedy Gaming (Review)

What It Feels Like to Kill a Story That Wasn’t Working – The Graveyard of Drafts

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

Every writer has a graveyard. It might be a drawer, a folder, or a hard drive, stuffed with stories that didn’t make it. Some sputtered out after a promising start, full of energy but unable to sustain themselves. Others ballooned into sprawling, unmanageable forms, leaving me tangled in their ambitions. And a few simply refused … Continue reading What It Feels Like to Kill a Story That Wasn’t Working – The Graveyard of Drafts

Why I Keep Coming Back to Horror – A Personal Essay on Horror and What Draws Me to Unsettling Stories

~ Gareth Ellis ~ Leave a comment

Horror is a genre I cannot seem to leave behind. I might stray into other territories—comedy, science fiction, even the odd experimental piece—but horror always remains the gravitational centre of my writing. It pulls me back, again and again, in a way that feels almost inevitable, as though some invisible force constantly tugs at my … Continue reading Why I Keep Coming Back to Horror – A Personal Essay on Horror and What Draws Me to Unsettling Stories