The Power of the Streak

Day 185 of my Duolingo Latin streak, and the little green owl, Duo, mascot of this popular language learning app, has just emailed me to say he sees a 186-day streak in my future.

He’s right. The concept of the streak plays a huge part in Duolingo’s success. Once you get going, you dare not miss a day of practice for fear of cutting your streak short, although if you practise a lot, you’ll earn a Streak Freeze allowing you to take a very occasional day off. The longer the streak, the harder it is to lapse, especially when Duo is constantly stalking you with reminders.

If the green owl graphic wasn’t so cute, he’d seem positively sinister.

This is the second time I’ve built up a long Duolingo Latin Streak. Over the years, I’ve spent so many hours with Duo that I’ve completed the Latin course several times over. However, it’s far from comprehensive. I know I’d learn much more if I spent the same amount of time studying the Cambridge Latin Course. I first came across this course at secondary school, and the course book is currently Amazon’s bestseller in Latin. Even so, I can’t seem to escape Duo’s clutches.

I was astonished to find my old school Latin textbook is currently a bestseller on Amazon – bestseller n the Latin category, anyway!

We all know that apps are designed to be addictive, applying streak mechanisms to keep you hooked. The concept of the streak was around long before the invention of the app. Inevitably at my age, my earliest experience of the grip of the streak is analogue: the yellow attendance card for Scripture Union club at primary school. The A6 card was ruled into neat squares, and each time we attended the after-school club, the kindly Mr Linton stamped a little star into the next blank square. A row of stars earned the cardholder a bookmark, a full card a book. Gaining stars was a powerful motivator for attendance, as was Mr Linton’s obvious pleasure at our progress.

Perhaps I should apply the same psychology to housework, never high on my list of priorities.

I need my own Duolingo as my personal cheerleader for housework

I could easily make up a Scripture Union style card and reward myself with a stamp for every completed task. But it wouldn’t feel as fulfilling without the personal endorsement of dear old Mr Linton or Duolingo’s winsome little green owl.

As Mr Linton retired to Norfolk when I was 11, I can’t look to him for help now. Clearly I need my own version of Duo. So, if you come across a small plump green owl with domineering tendencies in need of a good home, please send him my way.

In Other News

No sooner is my latest book done than I’m writing the next! 

Death at the Old Curiosity Shop was launched last month and has been very well received, with a 4.4* average on Amazon and over 120 reviews and ratings so far. This book is the start in a brand new series, initially planned as a trilogy, set around Alice Carroll, the new proprietor of a derelict bric-a-brac shop in the Cotswold village of Little Pride. I had such fun creating the new setting and characters that as soon as that book was in production, I set to work on the sequel. Death at the Village Chess Club will be launched on  3rd March 2025, and is already available to preorder. I’ll share the cover here as soon as I can.

Just some of the kind reviews of my latest book so far

In the meantime, I’m getting in festive mood as I organise the next Hawkesbury Upton Village Literature Festival event – the now traditional Christmas Special. This will include readings of classic favourite Christmas poetry and prose, as well as readings and talks by local authors. Three of the guest speakers will be sharing stories written for this occasion. The Festival is very honoured! For more information and to book tickets, visit the HULF website at www.hulitfest.com, or book your tickets online via Eventbrite here. Advance booking is essential to make sure we’ve got enough refreshments and chairs to go around!