N is for Needs and Nap

Welcome back. We're getting through the alphabet and made it all the way to letter N. Make sure to go here to see how the other bloggers are managing with the challenge. Needs and naps are things that both can be found in fiction and fitness that start with N.

Fiction

Characters have needs and so do writers. Like everyone else, you have to figure out what the characters actually need versus what they may want, as they are not the same all of the time. Maybe the character needs a nap in order to heal from an injury. Or maybe the character just wants a nap to get away from a stressful situation caused by another character.

Writers have needs too, though some are probably wants. I need coffee or feel like napping right after getting up in the morning. lol  Or more so, I like and want coffee and can use it as incentive to keep myself from napping. The story has needs too and it's our job to tell when the story needs something or when we just like it.

Fitness

There are wants and needs in fitness too. Sometimes we need a nap, a rest break from whatever activity we've been doing for weeks on end. Sometimes we can want to do something so bad that we push ourselves too far and later learn a lesson about ignoring things our body needs the hard way. It's good to take breaks every now and then. Plus, certain activities like with weight lifting, part of the awesome improvement comes during the rest time when the body heals from what the activity worked to accomplish. We need to get out and moving but what we do can be based on want instead of need. Have fun or else that nap may be too tempting.

Don't forget to rest on occasion though. I thought about resting around the 12 week mark when I was doing the stronglifts lifting program. I ended up needing to because of a cold, which meant a whole week away from the gym when I had planned to just take 3-4 days off. Sometimes we need that rest whether we want to take it or not.


What are your (or characters needs)? Did you nap today?