One more day.

I’m on the very cusp of the greatest writing bout in my life with NaNoWriMo. I will not get the chance to write something stupid and personal on this blog for a while, so I might as well make the most of this final prompt: “Describe a family member”.

Well, fact of the day – you know that brother I keep referring to in my advice posts? We’re twins of the same egg!

I should avoid referring to “Watson” (moniker for privacy’s sake!) as being identical to me. It is only a surface affair, for all that we share. His hair, though curly like mine, is longer and better kept – he spends ages at the hairdressers requesting vintage cuts. Both bespectacled, his choice of lens is becircled and oracular while mine are angular and musty. He wears wide brimmed hats with stag pins, heavy-duty coats with handkerchiefs and striped chemises – he always wears a second layer, even in summer. On the contrary, my overshirts are always checkered and modern – I almost never wear a hat.

His teeth are the cleaner side of the british stereotype – my braceless teeth have always been straight. His right shoulder is broader than the left from years of slinging heavy bags full of academia around to lessons – it is inverted in my case. He has less of an overbite than me, more circular a face and gappier brows; bigger feet and longer legs; more accomodating to my edgy.

Our ways are more different still. While I curse and blaspheme at the pettiest inclination, his reserved obscenities have ballistic impact: he unironically uses “My goodness” otherwise. He rises at 5:00 exactly to fulfill a precise self-improvement ritual with jogging and affirmations and yet often feels unfulfilled after seven hours intensive study – I burnout abruptly for days at a time and yet feel happy that I could relax my mind. He goes out regularly and is highly social, yet is long-winded and erring in speech: I’ve never been to a party and miss appointments, yet am concise and natural when I talk. He worries about his health and mind continuosly while I once went to seminars with an upper respiratory infection. I could go on for yonks!

Described in this detail, we seem very different. But it is human nature not to be arsed to bother with distinguishing! Tell someone that this is my twin brother and they will forever after be getting the names wrong, confuddling our hobbies or ringing the wrong number. It’s one of those destined irritatants of being a twin, alongside the usual assumptions that we share thoughts and invented a twin language. The closest we’ve come to the latter is a sort of slang we use for eachother’s plights and hobbies, but not a full blown tongue! We’re not indigo children, creepy psychics or bilocations of one personality – we are simply a pair of blundering buddies who alternate loosely and lavishly between critically mauling eachother and unshakeable loyalty.

Watson is both my biggest supporter and most vitriolic critic. He is the first person I send to review my work – I rightfully dread his response every time, yet his suggestions were some of the best decisions I’ve ever made. All through NaNoWriMo, I will be referring to his editorial – every chapter will be reviewed by him. It’s going to be spectacular.

Anyhoo, are any of the rest of us twins? Do you also hate it when people confuse the two of you? If not, are you doing anything for NaNoWriMo or would you rather do something more essential like earn money for basic necessities? Let me know, if you dare! More updates on my NaNoWriMo schemes tomorrow – hope you have a good day in the meantime. Least I can do.
Ciao!