Elmo Moorby

As the clocks turn back and the days shorten my motivations reflect the change, lessening by staggering amounts each and every day. It is difficult to feel the spice of life when surrounded by leaves that crunch like broken bones or trees, withered and skeletal, clawing at tangles of birds nests.

Reading Goals

Since the beginning of this year I have, to date, read Thirty-one books. They range in quality, intended audience, and enjoyment, but each have been conquered; read from front to back. As the year begins to wind down I’m setting my sights for the future, and know of two reading challenges in which I am interested.

CriminOlly’s Read What You Own (RWYO) Challenge is one such thing. Beginning in the first week of November, the challenge emplores readers to read titles they already own. It is often accompanied with an outright ban on buying more until the challenge is completed, which I hope to abide by. There are 25 owned titles I hope to get to before September next year, I will leave relevant updates on my YouTube channel.

The other challenge is the The Backlist Reader Challenge created by The Bookwyrms Hoard or Beat The Backlist by Austine Decker, both have caught my attention for 2025. Either challenge would likely reflect my progress with RWYO but allow additional titles from my library list, of which there are many.

Currently Reading:

• Reaper Man, Pratchett
• The Superior Spider-Man Vol.1, Gage & Slott
• The Odyssey, Homer
• Song of Achilles, Miller
• Glimpses of the Unknown, edt. Ashley
• Lord of the Flies, Golding

YouTube

Progress with my YouTube channel, though slow, has remained consistent. I hope to create more review-type content, looking at books in a more analytical or in-depth way to create space for discussion.

I have recently subscribed to three channels that focus on reading, philosophy, and commonplacing; Odysseas, Jared Henderson, and Robin Waldun. I find all three have similar, digestable video formats that provides different approaches to similar topics. Though my Creative Writing degree lends itself to critical and analytical reading, I hope to learn notation methods from these channels, further enhancing my understanding of texts and sparking ideas for my own content.

Writing and Work

A personal note – I have realised I often struggle with motivation in the winter months. Over the past six weeks I’ve found my ability to work consistently on anything almost impossible. This poses a challenge for goals I set for my writing. I have hand written three stories that can be drafted and developed at a later date but am doubtful any progress will be made until the new year.

I’ve had no luck with experience programs though I will continue to apply. In the interim, I have increased the hours at my workplace, to save more and build stamina when it comes to working.