# Secret magical society in real world still possible?



## Amanita (Aug 21, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I didn't have the time to do much actual fiction writing recently but I've been playing with a story idea involving a secret, independently governed magical society in the real world, real world Germany actually. 
Now I'm wondering if this is worth spending more time on or if the setting alone makes it something akin to plagiarism of Harry Potter and other existing stuff. 
I haven't done much of the world-building yet but I already know that I won't have children of non-magical people becoming magical which was one of the main conflict points in HP. (Mother needs to be magical.)

The plot itself is about a young magical girl who has been living in hiding with her mother being taught magic by her and attending an ordinary school. Later, she is forced by the totalitarian regime of the magical society to take part in the official schooling system. She is subjected to the propaganda of the regime, learns their style of magic and doesn't really understand why her mother is so afraid of them at first. Then she learns what they're doing to their enemies secretely and what her mother who used to fight the regime went through. She gets to know more enemies of the regime and both mother and daughter join a resistance organisation. How successful they will be, I haven't decided yet.


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## Devor (Aug 21, 2013)

Still possible?  Sure.  It might not be the next landmark, genre-changing series, but I don't think that's your benchmark.

Just think about how your tone is different from HP's, as that's going to affect the reader experience more than the tropes.


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## Asterisk (Aug 21, 2013)

I think you can do it. Like Devor said, make your tone and voice unique. The overall idea intrigues me. I say go with it!


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## T.Allen.Smith (Aug 21, 2013)

Of course you can write it! I wouldn't even give the similarities a second thought.

Chances are, by the time you're finish with a draft, the stories won't be similar at all.


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## Daichungak (Aug 21, 2013)

Sounds like a cool idea.  Don’t worry about it being similar to HP.


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## Addison (Aug 21, 2013)

This is why I like the combination of writing and fantasy. Everything and anything is possible. True that if your magic world is too much like J.K Rowling's then yo ucould be suspected of plagiarism. But by the sounds of regime and such it doesn't sound like it. And if you have a different word for the non-magical that's not "muggle" then you're still good. 

A secret magic society in real world is definitely possible. So go for it!


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## ThinkerX (Aug 21, 2013)

There have been and still are a great many secretive magical societies.

Google 'Crowley' sometime.  His exploits read like something out of a novel.  In fact, they appear in quite a few novels.  (He's also the subject of a popular contemporary song.)


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## DassaultMirage (Aug 22, 2013)

Amanita said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I didn't have the time to do much actual fiction writing recently but I've been playing with a story idea involving a secret, independently governed magical society in the real world, real world Germany actually.
> Now I'm wondering if this is worth spending more time on or if the setting alone makes it something akin to plagiarism of Harry Potter and other existing stuff.
> ...




Let's cowrite this thing. Make it a school system. Mine will be focused on Asia lol, a story complex seriously. And if this works out and you're a 19 year old german girl who won't mind dating a nerd, let's date


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## Amanita (Aug 25, 2013)

Thank you for your response. So it should be doable. I don't think it will be _the_ great new thing of course.


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## Sheilawisz (Aug 25, 2013)

That plot sounds like you have a potentially great story in your head, Amanita.

I would say go for it. It's almost impossible to write a story that is 100% original and never seen before, so it's not really bad if your story ends up being compared to Harry Potter, The Worst Witch or others out there that describe a magical society that exists secretly in the world.

I have the same thing with my Joan of England story: It's all about a not-so-secret society of Mages in England that are plotting to start a new world order, so even though it's similar to Harry Potter in some ways, I have given this story my own style and it has a personality of its own.

You just have to give it your own twist, and it will work very well...


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