Featured Author, an Interview with SweetPoyzin

1. SweetPoyzin, how long have you been playing The Sims and what got you into it? 

I have been playing since the franchise began.  The Sims came out when I was in high school and my best friend gave me the original base game.  After that I made the switch to The Sims 2 and I LOVED it.  When The Sims 3 came out I decided not to move on.  My sister, however, did move on to The Sims 3 and when I was visiting her she showed me CAS and I was floored by the hair highlights (goes to show you how random I am).  That was all I needed to push my addiction over the edge.  I bought the base game, Ambitions, and World Adventures that night so I could catch up (that was all that had been released at the time) and here we are. 

2. Why did you begin blogging your Sims story? 

Quite frankly, I was bored with the gameplay.  After all those years, I felt played out.  I wanted something new and exciting to do.  Then I started reading several Bring Me to Life Challenges.  I’ve never been a challenge player (too many rules and restrictions) but I’ve always been a writer.  I started writing my first legacy “Noble Cause” when I was doing undergraduate research in animal science and loved the creative outlet. 

I quickly became bored with the conventional life Suttons were living so I completely destroyed them (cheating spouses, divorce, Stacy hooked up with her daughter’s husband).  Well there was nowhere really left to go after that and I wasn’t sure what I wanted out of the story anymore.  I decided to give writing a break for awhile and see where the game would take me from there. 

I randomly picked up a copy of Supernatural and I was convinced I was going to hate the game.  I’m not a fantasy kinda girl so I saw no point of having fairies and witches in my worlds.  The first supernatural I created was a blonde fairy named Lydia Aglovale and I immediately knew she had a story to tell.  So now I have gold ghosts, blue genies, purple witches, and an imaginary friend baby running around my towns but I still try to play as if everything is totally normal.  Vampires come next I think…I’m not sure I’ll ever get to werewolves but you never know. 

I have plotlines that I attempt to follow but sometimes the game throws me a curveball.  I also have to credit my husband for some of the insanity that happens.  When Victor died, I was ready to scrap that gameplay and go back to a previous save.  My husband, however, thought it was a fantastic turn of events and he insisted that I keep it and that started my free-play/free-write technique.  I just let my characters have at it and I write around their antics. 

I usually have a vague idea of where I want to go with my story.  For example, I knew that Penny would be a doctor and Liv would be a stay-at-home mom before they were toddlers.  While that was how things started, they both took some very different turns from there.  I also play with mods like StoryProgression and WooHooer to keep things realistic and it’s gotten some of my sims (looking at you, Dani) into a fair amount of trouble.  It keeps me on my toes that’s for sure! 

5. Which is your favorite character and why? 

Even though I currently have a love/hate relationship with her, Penny is by far my favorite.  Penny is essentially my soul in a sim.  She can never quite find what she’s looking for in life and that leads her to multiple jobs, multiple husbands, travelling all over the world.  She has no idea what she wants but at the same time wants to do it all.  She speaks before she thinks.  She gets into a fair amount of trouble but her heart is always in the right place.  I relate to her completely. 

I’ve learned from her as well.  I wrote the chapters about Katie’s pregnancy just a few months before learning my teenage sister was pregnant.  I completely freaked out until someone mentioned that sometimes the game mirrors real life and I went back and read those chapters and took a page out of Penny’s book.  However, after writing her for so long, I realized I was trapped by her personality.  It was incredibly scary but liberating to change to Dani.  I’m probably going to be a mess when we finally say goodbye to Penny but at the same time I am eager to be out from under her overbearing presence. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that Dani and the baby will become fast favorites though. 

6. What chapter has been the most difficult to write so far, and why? 

Oh jeez.  All of the chapters where people die (that’s a lie…I really enjoy killing off characters).   

Having to reshape Penny’s entire world after her car accident was pretty awful.  Let’s be honest here, we all adored Peter and his loss was TERRIBLE.  That one was probably the worst by far.  I’m not saying I’m sad about the way Penny’s life turned out, but I think everyone can agree that Peter was the one – coma dream or not. 

7. Is there anything you wish was different about your story? 

I wish I was more stable!  I start plots only to abandon them without cause or explanation.  I create characters that I forget after a chapter or two (Penny’s younger sisters Lucy and what’s her name are great examples).  I get all excited about a new idea and I immediately want to take my story in that direction without any back story and it’s just a mess.  We’ll see that in a few chapters when Dani randomly decides to move (My Sim Realty released a new world) and I hastily threw some photos into a chapter in hopes that they flow. 

I also wish I wasn’t so dependent on photos!  When I wrote my first legacy, I really made an effort to write the story and supplement it with photos.  Now I am all screenshots supplemented with writing.  I desperately wish I could break that mold but I just don’t think it will happen any time soon. 

8. Do you have any advice for other writers who may just be starting out? 

Write everyday.  Don’t be afraid to kill off characters.  It’s okay to leave some loose ends in your story.  Don’t overuse the cliffhanger.  Other people have great advice but don’t feel obligated to use it.  Your story is your story and your characters are your characters – you ultimately know what is best for both. 

9. What are the challenges of bringing your characters to life? 

I have to connect with the character.  Without that connection, how can I ever be expected to get inside their head?  I realized my need to connect when I was looking for Dani’s husband.  I knew part of his background but I wasn’t entirely sure who he was.  Several friends created sims for the running but none of them spoke to me.  I couldn’t get inside their heads and they refused to speak to Dani.  However, thanks to the ever awesome Bmit, Dani does have a possible future husband and they chatter back-and-forth in my head all the time.  We have great chemistry. 

10. Would you like to share an excerpt from your story or a summary of your story? Or both? 

Eternally Yours is a legacy story that follows five generations of strong female supernaturals.  The only rules are that the heir must be a female witch.  Otherwise, it’s a free-for-all as we follow Lydia, Mollie, Penelope, Danielle, and Violet through the trials and tribulations of death, life, motherhood, and self-employment all served with a hearty helping of sarcasm.

Thank you again for stopping by and sharing with us, SweetPoyzin!

If you would like to read our featured author’s Sims story, it can be found here: