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I am working on a story that is set in Denise's QT Diaries universe. It is the back story for a couple of characters that will appear in her next story release (Ep. V).
This involves an extremely rare case of twin QTs. The two are not originally even related, but are genetically 'merged' in the transformation.
One of the gained characteristics is 'twin speak', the non-verbal communication that twins use. I am thinking of portraying it as a limited form of telepathy, but am open to suggestions.
I also am wondering how to phrase some of the first person narrative. Do I just make it from one twin's pov, go back and forth, use first person plural? This poses some interesting opportunities.
Any ideas, suggestions?
If we use any of your ideas, you'll get to see your name displayed in genuine photons.
=)
Janet
Mistress of the Guild of Evil (Strawberry) Blonde Proofreaders
Comments
Well,
You could do it as something where the twins just read each other instead of the telepathy thing. Most twins know each other so well that a gesture or expression of the face will tell the other what they are thinking. Plus, if they just became twins, both would probably be a lot more observant of something like that just because it was a new thing and they need to survive.
Going back and forth, even in first person narrative isn't that hard to do. Just head each section with the character's name and get on with it. Just remember to give each character a unique voice. Show the differences in the way they talk and the words they use to express things. And with their reactions to outside stimuli.
No one, even a twin, is identical to anyone else. So I would go at this as two individuals who have a connection of looking alike, sounding alike, but who are not alike.
Twins run in my family, so I actually do know some of what I've said is true.
Maggie
Well... I don't know if you
Well... I don't know if you know the story, but Babs Yerunkle did something similar in her Planetary agents stories. http://fictionmania.tv/searchdisplay/authordisplay.html?word... (Actually Planetary agents 2)
Since they're no birth twins I think telepathy would be the most believable option. It's not like they've grown up with each oth4er, looking as each other. There should be no way, that they can pull the instant interpreation thingy.
First person plural (we?) might be possible if they're really connected via telepathy. If they're quite different you'd need to think of a way to blend their personalities into a new one though.
I guess it would be easie if you'd just switch between their POV.
Beyogi
Request for thoughts
How are they merged? Are they now Siamese Twins?
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
Sign language
They could do a rapid kind of sign-language. The sign language deaf people use is not universal, and so it's not such a stretch for these twins to have their own set of signs that are incomprehensible to others, but is also very fast (and thus harder for others to read), since the two are so much in sympathy with each other.
As far as changing POV, one typical mechanism is to set the name of the person narrating in bold type at the beginning of the section. An example is Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying: the point of view changes with each chapter, and in place of chapter titles, Faulkner put the name of the character who is speaking.
It can be confusing, no matter how you do it, but if you have a clear convention, people will get it.