Every once in a while (sometimes twice a day), I like to take what I call “Poetic License” (where I take veritable truths, mix them with my veritable lies to achieve the Theory I want to present) and then I share it with you all. Occasionally it even comes out good.

This is especially dangerous when the veritable truth I pull from is scientific in nature. Namely, in this instance: Newton’s first law. You know, that one about something in motion stays in motion, and something not in motion remains not in motion—unless some outside force changes it up a bit.

I know this law must be an Absolute. You’d know it was true too if you’d ever seen me laying around on my couch on the weekends, eating cookies and reading books. Jack shit gets done all weekend under the Law of Inertia. Newton could use me as a proof.

I find the other place this Absolute really shines is at the gym. Believe you-me, after spending 9 hours at work and 1 ½ hours commuting, the prospect of spending more time exercising does not appeal. The thought of it makes me tired. However giving into that lazy feeling perpetuates the exhaustion because once I stop going to the gym, I’m only more tired, more cranky, more exhausted. Whereas if I go to the gym, I have more energy. Therefore: energy begets more energy.

Which to me sounds a lot like the Newton thing.

Now I find if I just go to the gym enough, I can keep up the energy thing to keep me from being a total vegetable—and a total cranky one at that—so that’s where the Law of Inertia comes in. It’s only when an outside force (i.e. laziness, sickness, family matters) interrupts that I stop going to the gym—and then all the fall out happens. I lose all the benefits I was getting from going to the gym. I gain weight; I lose muscle; I’m winded going up stairs. (Okay, I’m still winded going up stairs, but it’s worse, believe me.) I also find that the longer I allow outside forces to interrupt, the longer I’ll let them interrupt. And the cycle only gets worse. Essentially: laziness begets laziness.

So if laziness begets more laziness, and energy begets more energy, then it only stands to reason that writing begets more writing. Again, a theory in which I could be pointed at as the proof. When I’m writing, I write every day, or at least during the scheduled times of the week I’ve carved out for myself and don’t interrupt on pain of death. And when I commit to writing, I write more. And more. But if I am out of practice, if all the outside forces have been allowed to supersede the benefits of writing, then my writing is painful. I don’t want to write because I’m not any good at it, I have no stamina, and I don’t see any results. But why would I have any of those things if I haven’t been committing to the routine and keeping myself in shape?

So if you care enough about your health to carve out some time to exercise a few times a week (and if you don’t, then you should), then the principle is the same for your writing. If you care about writing, you should carve out time for it and make yourself go. Only by writing will you write more. And better. And longer. Don’t let the outside forces keep you out of the motion.

This blog was brought to you by my yoga instructor and my friend Pam who said: “God, I didn’t go to the gym at all last week and I felt like a slug even though I got more sleep. I’m not missing anymore gym time.” So what is your favorite exercise to do? And do you have a favorite yoga position? Our yoga instructor was showing us how to do inverted lotus—and it looked cool! What cool ways have you gotten back into writing (if you’ve been out of the habit)? What principles have you learned that makes you a more consistent writer?