# Doppelgänger: Definition and Fiction Example | NovelOS Studio

> A doppelgänger is a double or look-alike whose resemblance creates conflict around identity, possibility, or the divided self. See an original fiction exampl...

## Doppelgänger in a story

The double may be literal, supernatural, mistaken, manufactured, or thematic.

## Original fiction example

> A diplomat meets the actor employed to impersonate her during attacks and discovers the actor has begun negotiating in her name.

This example is original to the NovelOS glossary. It illustrates the term without borrowing a passage from a published novel.

## Why writers use it

Use a doppelgänger to pressure identity, reputation, choice, and the life a character might have lived.

**A useful revision question:** Where does this device change what the reader understands, expects, or feels? If removing it leaves the passage unchanged, it may need a clearer function.

## A common mistake

Physical resemblance alone adds little unless it changes relationships or meaning.

## Use doppelgänger in NovelOS Studio

Develop character psychology, goals, contradictions, relationships, and change. [The Oracle](/features/the-oracle/) sits inside the same NovelOS Studio project as your characters, world, timeline, manuscript, goals, tracker, revision tools, and publishing exports.

Record the idea where it affects the book, test it in scenes, and revise it beside the surrounding prose. NovelOS Studio keeps the craft decision attached to the novel instead of leaving it in a separate worksheet.

Category

Character and Conflict

Related terms

* [Foil](/glossary/foil/)
* [Persona](/glossary/persona/)
* [Characterization](/glossary/characterization/)

[Browse the full glossary](/glossary/)