Twins are rare Fewer than four in every 1,000 pregnancies result in identical twins, giving them that out-of-the-ordinary quality that is the secret to many a good yarn.
Beside Myself
Twins make great criminals Because they have pretty much identical DNA, twins pose a special challenge for crime-scene investigators. There are even real-life examples of twins being acquitted because it was impossible to prove forensically which of them was responsible for a crime - perfect if you want to give a mystery an extra twist.
Dogs can tell twins apart Weirdly enough, dogs can respond quite differently to identical twins through smell, even when many humans struggle to tell them apart. It's one of the reasons I didn't given Helen and Ellie a pet dog in Beside Myself - Fido would not have been fooled.
Some twins say they can read each other's minds There are lots of stories of twins sharing thoughts and sometimes dreaming the same dreams. I've even spoken to an identical twin who says she knew when her sister got pregnant, despite the fact they were miles apart. Whether this mind-reading ability comes from shared experience or genuine telepathic powers is hard to say, but it certainly makes for some great plot potential…
Doppelgängers are freaky Twins are the real-life version of all those spooky doubles that crop up in ghost stories. Used in the right way, they can add shiver factor to almost any situation. Just think of the twins in The Shining.
We're a bit jealous of twins I'm sure we've all had moments when we've wished we had an identical sibling. Swapping identities, tricking friends and family - how much fun would that be? Unless, of course, your twin decides not to let you swap back…
Twinship is the closest possible biological relationship While a child only has 50 per cent of each of its parents' DNA, twins share 100 per cent, with the exception of a few mutations. As a result, they have a physical bond that the rest of us can only imagine, and make up stories about.
Twins let us explore what might have been You know that feeling of wondering how life might have worked out if you'd made slightly different choices? Well twins offer storytellers a great way to look into that. By creating two people who look the same, and start life at the same time and place, we can put those thousands of choices we all face under the microscope, and see what really counts when it comes to shaping the course of people's lives.
Twins prove that everyone's different Despite being physical copies of one another, all the pairs of identical twins I've met have had contrasting personalities. One may be outgoing, the other more shy; one may be more sporty, funny, chaotic or daring, the other more reserved, thoughtful, quirky or musical. It's not unknown for twins to differ in their sexuality and there are even cases of one twin undergoing a sex change while the identical sibling does not. All of which goes to show that we human being are complex characters, more than the sum of our parts and a rich source of stories.
Twins remind us that the world is an extraordinary place When you think about it, the idea that there could be a precise, physical copy of a human being is amazing. It is proof that remarkable things are possible, and that life has a touch of magic in it. And every good tale needs that.
Beside Myself by Ann Morgan, published by Bloomsbury Circus at £12.99