# Is this too similar



## srebak (Dec 31, 2011)

In my WIP, Island of Dragons, i had a concept in mind. An archipelago filled with islands belonging to variety of magical creatures. Their safe haven away from the human world, once the humans started to rise up against them. Traveling to four of said islands was a large part of my plot. But i'm worried the plot might seem to similar to the "Archipelago of Last Years" from "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" as well as the main plot of "Gulliver's Travels"

And the fact of the matter is, i've put so much effort into this plot, i can't change it now.


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## mirrorrorrim (Dec 31, 2011)

If you've already put too much into it to change it, then why are you asking about it? 

But, if you're worried about it being too similar, then what can you do do make sure your story is unique? The stories you mentioned are hardly the only ones involving mystical islands with wondrous inhabitants. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader comes immediately to mind, as does the Star Trek television series and its innumberable sequels. Gulliver's Travels is set apart by its clever satirical overtones. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has its strong moral and religious lessons, types, and applications. Star Trek has its whole sci-fi thing going, as well as its explorations of social issues and ethical dilemmas. And, of course, the fact that it's planets they're visiting, and not islands.  I haven't read Rudolph's Shiny New Year, so I don't know about that. I'm sure there's something that makes it unique, too.

If you think your stories are too similar to the ones you mentioned, or that the setting will create expectations of such, then, being aware of it, use the situation to your advantage. How can you improve upon what your predecessors have done? Or, if that fails, then how can you move in the opposite direction, and play the readers' expectations against them?

Orson Scott Card once wrote that writers don't need to reinvent the wheel. Acknowledge your indebtedness to the writers that came before you, use the best of what they've done, and then find a way to offer your reader something unique.

You're familiar with these other stories, so what is it about yours that is special, and that appeals to you? What is it that makes you look forward to sitting down and writing your story, and of some day having others read what you've written?

As long as you still have that, you still have a worthwhile story to tell.


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## Spring-Gem (Dec 31, 2011)

Honestly, every story can be reduced to some kind of structure that is similar to other stories, for example the hero's journey or the 3 act story structure. Someone came up with the 36 dramatic situations. You could  give your plot outline to 10 different people and get 10 totally  different stories. The only way to know how similar your story will be to something else is to write it. After you've finished your first draft, then you can  change anything that seems too similar to something else.


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## OrionDarkwood (Jan 5, 2012)

srebak said:


> In my WIP, Island of Dragons, i had a concept in mind. An archipelago filled with islands belonging to variety of magical creatures. Their safe haven away from the human world, once the humans started to rise up against them. Traveling to four of said islands was a large part of my plot. But i'm worried the plot might seem to similar to the "Archipelago of Last Years" from "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" as well as the main plot of "Gulliver's Travels"
> 
> And the fact of the matter is, i've put so much effort into this plot, i can't change it now.



Alot of ideas are already out there, the trick is to put your own unique twist on them. Such as the classic Luke you are my father plot line.. You could twist it so that Darth Vader is actually Luke's first love that he was so bad as knocking boots she had a sex change and became a Jedi for the express purpose of screwing up his children's lives LOL


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