In The Sims 4, there are a wide variety of skills that your Sims can build to enrich their lives, and enhance your gameplay. Many of these skills can eventually be used for various careers, to make them rich, or just bring in a little extra Simoleans (§) on the side.
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With the writing skill your Sim can write and sell novels, short stories, be a columnist, freelance writer, and so much more. In this guide, we will discuss everything you need to know about the writing skill, the perks that come with it, and what careers your sim can have.
Buy A Computer
One of the first things you’ll need in order for your sim to start writing is a computer. If you get a house that’s already furnished, it may come with a computer. Otherwise, you’ll need to buy one.
To buy a computer you need to:
- Go into Build Mode
- Select Objects By Room on the left side
- Select Study
- Choose a computer you can afford and place it on a desk or table
The cheapest computer in The Sims 4 is §800, so make sure your Sim has at least that much, plus at least §360 for a desk and chair.
How To Start Building Writing Skill
Once your Sim has a computer, click on the computer, then select Write and then Practice Writing.
They will start at level one, which allows them to only practice writing, or write children’s books. They won’t be able to start selling any books until after level two.
The types of writing your Sim can complete (i.e. Mystery Books, Motivational Books, etc…) will depend on what skill level they have.
If you try to level up your Sim’s writing skill too fast by writing books, they’ll get
writer’s block
. Their mood will change to tense, and they won’t want to write.
We recommend using the
Practice Writing
option more during the
early levels
between books to get that level up quickly without the consequences.
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How To Write And Sell Novels In The Sims 4
Once you get to a point where you feel confident in your Sim’s writing skill, it’s now time to start writing books and sell them for profit.
To write a book, click on your Sim’s computer and select Write and Genre Writing, then select which book you want to write. This will depend on what writing skill level your sim is at.
Self-Publish
A few seconds after your Sim starts writing, a screen will pop up with the title and description of the book, which you can change if you want.
Click the checkmark, and your Sim will continue writing. Remember to allow them breaks to meet their needs.
When the book is finished you can self-publish it at the mailbox. Just click on the mailbox then select Self-Publish, and a list will come up of all the books that your Sim has completed. Select the one(s) you want and your Sim will start earning daily royalties.
Your Sim can produce varying levels of quality books depending on their skill level and mood. The quality levels are
Normal, Good, Excellent, and Bestseller.
The quality of the book also determines how much your Sim makes from them in royalties.
Additionally, if your Sim is experiencing a strong emotion (i.e. Very Inspired, Very Sad, etc..) at the time of writing,
that will increase the quality of the book.
Sell To Publisher
Once your Sim reaches level five, they can start selling their books to publishers, which will get them higher royalties than self-publishing. To sell to a publisher go to the mailbox again but this time select Sell to Publisher.
Submit To Literary Digest
At level 9, your Sim can now submit written works to a Literary Digest. This is done the same as self-publishing and selling to a publisher – just use the mailbox. Submitting novels to Literary Digest doubles the amount your Sim earns in daily royalties.
What Careers Are Good For Writing Skill In The Sims 4
Writing and selling novels is not the only thing your Sim can do with the writing skill. There are also various careers where the writing skill comes in handy.
The first career option for writing is Freelance Writer. When you choose this one you get to set your Sim’s schedule and choose writing gigs to work on.
Each gig will have a writing skill level requirement, and come with a list of tasks that need to be completed before the due date. This is a very flexible career for any Sim that prefers to be their own boss.
The next career is the Writer Career. There are two branches within the Writer Career that your Sim can pursue: Author and Journalist. You’ll start off as a Writer’s Assistant earning §25/hour, but once you pass rank five you get to choose if you want to follow the Author branch or the Journalist branch.
Before choosing a career, if you have the
Discover University Expansion Pack
, you can send your Sim to college to pursue a degree as a
Journalist, Author, or Freelance Writer
.
Getting a Writer Degree gives you career benefits such as:
easier promotions, higher pay, more vacations, and a sign-on bonus.
