Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Meet Holly and Sharon

When I was thirteen, I got bored one day and created for myself two alter egos for the purpose of populating a roleplay site I had going. They're twin sisters, and their names are Holly and Sharon Meyers. Sharon is the louder and more active twin; she is well-liked at school, and has played soccer since the age of ten. Both twins are fairly smart, but around age fourteen Sharon stopped showing interest in books and reading in favor of more popular pursuits. Meanwhile, Holly is shy and studious, enjoying her academics but happiest at church, and she always has a Bible on hand, and usually at least one other book too. Their priorities are different enough by now that they often clash and irritate each other, but Holly--being the quieter twin--is usually the one who gives in.

The site I created them for has long since died out, but I recently went back and started thinking about writing a story with these characters. I know the basic lines of it already: Holly's relationship with her faith community is tested, while Sharon's faith is suddenly forced forward in her life. I know what to put Holly through, but I'm not sure what to do to Sharon. How does one properly torture a fictional athlete? Maybe I should give her some other all-consuming hobby... make her a theater kid instead, since I know theater... but she was always a soccer player.

Maybe Sharon is injured and forced off the field, or maybe she's just cut from the team. Would that be enough? I don't know athletes well enough to know. Would starting to have her own questions work? I know what it's like for an obsession to crumble, but it's hard to tell how anything will be received by the reader.

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