Writing Tips - Mirror Characters

In this week’s writing workshop we looked at characters with shared qualities. Mirror characters (also called Parallel characters) can strengthen themes in a story by what they share. For example, the three young wizards in Harry Potter (Harry, Hermione and Ron) strengthen themes of being in school and learning, having magical abilities, and coming up against a very scary dark sorcerer, sometimes feeling in over their heads (but always rising to the challenge).

We also examined how mirror characters can have very different qualities — such as Ron and Hermione, in some ways being opposite (study skills, for example)!

The group had fantastic ideas for mirror characters and resulting stories.

Three identical girls except for eye colour, who all have the same skills, led to the intriguing question … with all their similarities, where will the differences be? The differences will certainly be striking on the backdrop of so much similarity.

A girl knows her shadow is just like her. It goes where she goes, it likes what she likes. Until it breaks this illusion and starts talking to her!

Two characters with water power have pet otters. We can see a strong water theme in that story.

A character writes in her diary about her friend Minnie, reflecting on their similarities and differences. I had a strong sense of both characters after the passage.

And following my prompt on a reflection in a mirror breaking free, a story unfolded showing two very different twins — one Java-scripting in the modern world, the other loving old books and old things.

​There were other wonderful ideas spinning around. I look forward to hearing more of them.