Momentum and Inertia

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about anticipation, and how building up a sense of expectation about a forthcoming creative project can propel us through the initial rocky stages of it.  I wrote this on October 31, and the "forthcoming creative project" was National Novel Writing Month, which started the next day.  For most of the novelists I know taking part, that initial burst of energy did indeed propel them past the rocky shoals. 

Sadly, we're now out in deep water.  There are no currents here, no riptides ... just the doldrums.  The initial excitement has worn off, and now when we come to our novel every day, there is less a sense of expectancy and euphoria, and more a sense of, "Oh.  You again." 

This wouldn't be a problem if we were already done with our novels, or if we didn't care about reaching a pre-stated goal.  We do care about these things, however, so these calm seas and meager breezes can be a real source of concern.  What's a novelist to do?

Build up momentum, and then trust in inertia. 

I love using physics analogies to describe the creative process because they fit so neatly.  Momentum is simply the force we build up over time: if I run half a mile one day, then the next day, I should be able to run that same half mile plus a little more.  The next day, I run the distance I did the day before, and I can push myself a little farther.  By doing this day by day, bit by bit, I build up a good head of momentum -- the work and successes of previous days give me the strength and will to keep going.

Now, we turn to inertia.  "Inertia?" I can hear you all exclaiming.  "Doesn't that mean staying still?"

In a physical sense, no.  That's part of what inertia is, and sadly, it's all we ever seem to focus on.  Inertia is the tendency of something that's sitting still to want to stay sitting still, and something in motion to want to keep moving.  We ignore this second part because we hear "inertia," we think "inert," and inert means it ain't goin' nowhere.  What we conveniently forget is that inertia can also work in our favor: if we're constantly moving forward on something, then our tendency is to keep moving forward.

Think of momentum as trying to develop a habit -- say, stopping smoking.  You start by cutting out one cigarette on day one.  The next day, you add a second cigarette you're not smoking.  The next day, you add another.  Inertia is the habit you're forming: after a couple of days of not having that first cigarette, your tendency will be not to want that cigarette any more.

For those of us who don't smoke, that analogy doesn't hit home, so let's try another one, something like ...  hmm ... writing a novel.

Momentum is all the words you wrote the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that.  By building up a steady stream of good-sized word counts, you build the momentum to keep writing a novel.  The inertia is the habit you're building of writing every day, getting the words in, no matter what. 

These forces are so powerful that nearly every successful Creative follows them: keeping the same creative schedule day in and day out (including Christmas and birthdays).  They know that if they miss one day, their momentum starts to slip.  Think of riding a bike: you build up a head of steam, and then your foot slips off the pedal; you're still moving forward (that's inertia), but you've lost some of your momentum. 

How do you use these forces in your favor?

Build on Your Past Successes -- I'm not talking about your book publishing deals or royalty checks.  For a Creative, these are just nice by-products of the important part of it all: the work.  In this light, a "success" is simply a day where you sat down and worked.  Look at those "successful" days and try to build a streak of them.

Make a Promise to Come Back  -- When you finish a day's work, make the silent promise to yourself that you'll return the next day and do it again.  This will help keep the inertia moving in your favor.

Come Back -- Once you've made the promise, then you have to fulfill it by coming back the next day as you promised you would.  This builds your momentum and gives your next promise to come back even more force.


Notice that these aren't quick-fix actions.  You can't build momentum in a day, nor can you expect inertia suddenly to work in your favor if you've spent every day for the past week sitting on the couch staring at the TV.  You have to build these up over time.

But -- and here's the good news for those of you doing NaNoWriMo -- if you've been working steadily on your novels for the past two weeks, you've already built up a fair bit of momentum and inertia in your favor.  The problem is that when you get to the middle of your novel -- the doldrums -- you can't see the forward movement you're making because the scenery around you is so monotonous.  The start of the book is exciting: new people, new places, new ideas.  The end is even more exciting: the finish line, the resolution, happy endings all around.  The middle is ... well, it's not exciting, at least for the novelist.  You can't see where you started, and you can't see where you're going, and everything around you is just bland. 

Happily, however, if you've built that momentum and inertia, you are still moving forward.  You just can't tell you are because you've got no frame of reference to judge your motion against.  This can be hard for the Creative, because we like to see results.  Let the daily work be the result, take joy in it, and trust that the momentum and inertia you've built up will carry you on.  Keep moving forward, showing up every day and getting your words down, and you'll soon see land on the horizon: the promised land of the end of your project.