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The Book Devotions

I never saw this coming...🐲

Published about 1 year ago • 2 min read

Happy weekend, Reader!

Here's something weird. Back in February, I got REALLY good at drawing dragons.

Yep. Drawing dragons.

How did it happen, you ask?

Well, my 7-year-old son became obsessed with The Magnificent Book of Dragons.

He likes to draw, so he started drawing each of the dragons just for the sheer joy.

Then, he started asking ME to draw the mythical beasts.

He asked me so often that I had to limit him to one drawing per day. It became a daily ritual: I sketch a dragon. He colors it. We rank the dragons from most powerful to least powerful. Every day, we'd add a new dragon to our portfolio, carefully placed in its power position.

I cannot overstate how much my son LOVED this.

I mean, how could I say NO to the daily drawings? It took me only a few minutes per sketch, and it made my son SO happy.

Every day, he'd get The Magnificent Book of Dragons and lay it open it to the specific page that he wanted. Alongside the book, he'd place a sheet of paper, a pencil, and a fine-tip Sharpie. He looked forward to it like Christmas. And he wanted to do it every day.

My first few drawings were ugly. But, after a half-dozen days, I actually started to get good.

Check me out:

I didn't exactly want to—in fact, most days, it felt like a total chore—but I drew a dragon EVERY DAY. And, lo and behold, I got good at it.

By now, you're asking yourself

If you want to get better at reading books, then do it every day. Just a little bit of reading every day...it'll add up. Faster than you think.

Pretty soon...

  • Your attention span will lengthen
  • Your fluency will get buttery smooth
  • Your vocabulary will explode
  • Your thoughts will feel less fragmented
  • Social media will lose its luster

Bottom line: Reading will feel easier and more rewarding.

I'm not making any promises. But I am speaking from my own experience.

I never would've become Dragon Artist Extraordinaire if my little boy hadn't pretty-pleeeeeeased me into it every single day.

When it comes to the habits we actually want to develop, like reading, we need an external (visual) nudge to actually do the thing.

That's why I created this CUTE reading habit tracker.

It's got room for you to track up to six books per month. Color the box for each day you read.

And, badges. Who doesn't love badges? When you reach one of the goals, jot down the date you earned it. Then reward yourself with a pint of ice cream. Just kidding—a tray of brownies. Mmmm.

It's all yours, and I hope you love it!

Your devoted,

Michelle

P.S. Grab this reading habit tracker right now. Your social-media-sapped brain will LOVE YOU.

P.P.S. Know someone who'd love this newsletter? Here's where they can sign up to get the goods.

The Book Devotions

Michelle Watson

I'm a homeschool mom who loves to read. Every week, I email you book recommendations and reviews, fun printables, bits of bookish news. Come on over and read with us! We'd love to have you.

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