A moment of writing inspiration– courtesy of The Sims 4

I go through spurts where I play The Sims a LOT. I finally bought The Sims 4, so lately, I’ve been in the midst of one of these spurts.

Meet Jane. She’s a writer.

Now, Jane’s career started off slowly. She worked a Day Job as a Writer’s Assistant. She wrote a little bit, and self-published a couple of children’s books. She read a lot to advance in her career; it was her daily task. And then Jane got two promotions. To advance in her new position, her daily task was to write– EVERY DAY. To go to work in an INSPIRED mood.

It was a new task set for me. Every morning, when Jane gets up, I have her eat breakfast and take a “thoughtful” shower so that she’ll be inspired. And then, with whatever time is left before she needs to leave for work, Jane sits down to write.

It’s amazing! Jane has been writing so much she’s practically prolific. She doesn’t manage to write every day (she has a life, after all… sometimes, anyway), but damn close to it. She’s published around eight books and earns a decent sum in royalties. With all of the practice she’s getting, her writing skill is advancing further and further and–

Here was my “d’oh!” of a writing epiphany.

If I can have my Sim do it… why isn’t it something I’ve been doing for myself?

Why haven’t I been writing every day? Why haven’t I been seeking out an inspired frame of mind? The benefits to doing so are obvious in a freaking computer game. Improved writing skill. More books. More money.

So maybe that free time that I’ve been playing The Sims in is about to be cut down. I’m feeling distinctly inspired.