I'm a little confused if I should keep it... (similarity to Harry Potter?)

Mythical Tiger · Feb 25, 2009

Sorry if this is in the wrong spot :tongue

I was wondering about this part that I'm going to have in my story and if I should keep it.

Well I have this part where my MC Tessa and other elementals that are first years are decided what element they are. They go up to this clear ball that has nothing but mist inside of it, kind of. When an elemental goes up and touches it[I haven't name it yet

]the weird mist either turns dark blue, red, green, or very light blue. The dark blue represents water, red represents fire, green represents earth, and light blue represents air.

When Tessa touches it, it turns all of those colors one at a time and then it turns to white that shimmers with blue. Which is what color the ball used to turn to show an spiritual elemental. Which where thought to be extinct.

Should I keep this idea to have the clear ball? A lot of people are saying that it sounds like something from Harry Potter. Does it?

Thanks!

~Sam

Mythical Tiger · Feb 25, 2009

If nobody has any advice then I guess this can get deletedXD

Ambrosia · Feb 25, 2009

Mythical Tiger said:
Sorry if this is in the wrong spot

I was wondering about this part that I'm going to have in my story and if I should keep it.

Well I have this part where my MC Tessa and other elementals that are first years are decided what element they are.

I assume by the term 'first years' you mean the first year of some type of school.

Mythical Tiger said:
They go up to this clear ball that has nothing but mist inside of it, kind of. When an elemental goes up and touches it[I haven't name it yet]the weird mist either turns dark blue, red, green, or very light blue. The dark blue represents water, red represents fire, green represents earth, and light blue represents air.

When Tessa touches it, it turns all of those colors one at a time and then it turns to white that shimmers with blue. Which is what color the ball used to turn to show an spiritual elemental. Which where thought to be extinct.

Should I keep this idea to have the clear ball? A lot of people are saying that it sounds like something from Harry Potter. Does it?

Thanks!

~Sam

If my guess that 'first years' refers to students at some school, then yes this reeks of Harry Potter. The sorting hat in the first Harry Potter novel was used to determine which house the students went into.

Stacia Kane · Feb 25, 2009

I think it depends, honestly. Yes, it could be too close to Potter, but if school and this sorting are the only similarities you might get away with it.

Why not make it so the ball floats over them all, instead of them going up to touch it? Change it up a bit.

Lots of books use similar tropes or elements. It's how you handle them and how the rest of the story goes that makes the difference.

Either way, I'd leave it for now and worry about it when the book is finished. Something else might come to you later.

JMO.

adtabb · Feb 25, 2009

From what you have said here, I don't see Harry Potter. Elementals are quite a diffrent subject from withces and wizards.

It reminds me of another author, I am thinking Piers Anthony had an elemental series. I can't remember for sure who, but they had a school for elemental wizards, and there were four or five books one each based on each element. I never read them all too much romance for my interest.

Mythical Tiger · Feb 25, 2009

Thanks guys

.

This really helped and I appreciate it. Also does it make a difference that the one presenting the ball is a sorceress?

Prozyan · Feb 25, 2009

Interestingly, George RR Martin answered this question on his blog the other day:

Art is not a democracy, and these are problems I need to solve myself. Having a few hundred readers weigh in with their thoughts and opinions -- which seems to be what happens whenever I post here about DWD -- does not advance the process. I'm sorry, but that's true. I know that many of you would like to help me, but you can't. I have editors and I have two capable assistants, and that's sufficient. I'm the only one who can dance this dance.

I bolded some sections for effect. The reality is, this is a decision that you and you alone must make.

tehuti88 · Feb 25, 2009

I don't know about Harry Potter but the glowing ball thingie reminds me of the elemental natures of people in my own writing. There isn't quite the same thing, but people's "spirit stones" and "auras" (for want of a better word) glow a certain color, which sometimes (though not always) corresponds to their element of choice (but has more to do with their personality--light green for outgoing, cheery types, fiery red for temperamental types, blue for calmer types, etc.). Spirit stones look like little glowing balls in their owners' chests. In my current serial, one girl's spirit stone and aura glow all colors like the aurora borealis and it's revealed that she has immense powers and a very strong spirit.

I've never read the Harry Potter books, so I'm not ripping them off. I realized that my idea can't be terribly new or creative (elemental things have been done to death, even I get leery when seeing them), but it suits my story, so I use it. Nobody has complained or accused me of stealing, yet.

So as you can see, there's very little that's new anymore. Try writing it and maybe it won't turn out like Harry Potter at all.

CheyElizabeth · Feb 25, 2009

I hate to say it, but when I first read this, all I thought was Harry Potter.. It sounds a lot like the sorting of first years in Hogwarts.. you may want to try to change how they get 'sorted' but avoiding the ball completely. Maybe they are presented with all of the elements and whichever one reacts to them is the one they are.. and make something weird happen for MC, like maybe all of the elements react to her.

Stunted · Jun 25, 2009

That sounds exactly like Harry Potter.

errantruth · Jun 25, 2009

To me it doesn't sound like Harry Potter.

Or at least there's not enough here to make it so similar that it echoes. I mean, there's loads of boarding school stories and series. That doesn't mean they're all alike. Lots of tales of kids moved to new homes who discover interesting secrets. Doesn't mean they're all alike.

I agree with the "dance your own dance" comment. Go with your gut.

Danthia · Jun 25, 2009

It does sound like Harry Potter, but there isn't anything wrong with that. Plenty of writers have probably used the same trope, and I'm sure even JKR wasn't the first to do it. I think a lot of it will also depend on what the rest of the story is about. If it's Harry Potter with an elemental school, you're probably going to run into troubles with comparisons, but if it's a GREAT Harry Potter with elementals then no one will care.

Since you're worried about it, I'd say change it in some way so you feel more comfortable and doesn't so closely resemble a well-know scene. Our instincts are good indicators of when something is off. When something bugs us, there's usually a reason.

EFCollins · Jun 25, 2009

It's not the subject/idea. It's the delivery. Write your book.

seun · Jun 25, 2009

I'll add my vote to the Harry Potter angle. That doesn't mean you should give up on this idea, just be aware of it and see what you can do when it comes to your rewrites.

Wark · Jun 25, 2009

JK Rowling didn't make up that scene. It's all over the place. HP just strings together stock fantasy scenes in an entertaining manner. We all do that.

I think yours sounds better than HP.

mscelina · Jun 25, 2009

adtabb said:
From what you have said here, I don't see Harry Potter. Elementals are quite a diffrent subject from withces and wizards.

It reminds me of another author, I am thinking Piers Anthony had an elemental series. I can't remember for sure who, but they had a school for elemental wizards, and there were four or five books one each based on each element. I never read them all too much romance for my interest.

You may be thinking of The Blending and The Blending Enthroned series by Sharon Green.

seun said:
I'll add my vote to the Harry Potter angle. That doesn't mean you should give up on this idea, just be aware of it and see what you can do when it comes to your rewrites.

Ditto. If you are aware that there are definite similarities, then when you go back in rewrites you may find a neater way of handling it. For right now, though, go ahead and write it as you see it. Once you get the story completely down on paper it's easier to switch things up to avoid this kind of similarity.

dpaterso · Jun 25, 2009

*cough*posted in February*cough*

-Derek

green.fairies · Jun 25, 2009

It sounds a bit like harry potter. Maybe if you use a different name than "first years". A lot of stories have things similar to each other. If your plot is different then it really shouldn't matter.

Matera the Mad · Jun 25, 2009

I think the ball sounds a lot different from the Sorting Hat. It's something visual, seen by all, while the Hat Experience is -- except for the final pronouncement -- very personal. Different names for the levels wouldn't hurt. There's hardly any way to avoid perceived similarities in wizard-school fantasies.

There's nothing new under the sun, only new ways of looking at the old. #1 Beta and I have had some laughs over my comparisons of my MC with Harry. My guy was "born" a few years before I had ever read any HP. At least his enviironment is radically different.

john barnes on toast · Jun 26, 2009

Not having read Harry Potter I can't comment specifically, but I do think people get carried away with seeing plagiarism everywhere

Unless you've straight ripped an idea, I don't think you (the collective you) should be overly concerned if something you write is pointed out as having parallels with something that's gone before.

I actually heard someone say 'you can't do demons. Phillip Pullman's already done it.'

mlazzer · Jun 26, 2009

I think it depends a bit on how you write it as well, doesn't it?

Pepper · Jun 26, 2009

I haven't read Harry Potter, so I have no clue whether this resembles it.

So........er....... why am I here? Oh yeah.....

If this bothers you, if you think it's too close to HP, swap things up a bit. But remember, someone out there will always think that such-n-such story is ripped off something else. Like the others said, there's really nothing new under the sun. A few years back I had someone claim a story of mine was a rip off of some other book. I can't even remember the name of the book because I'd never even heard of it.

Just goes to show that you shouldn't get your knickers too twisted over this.

Just don't copy a scene word for word, eh?

(Wondering if Sam remembers this thread is here. Who ressurected this thread, mm?)

veronie · Jun 26, 2009

Any book that has some sort of magical school for teens is going to make the reader think "Harry Potter." Throw in some kind of sorting for the students, and bingo.

DavidZahir · Jun 26, 2009

It sounds to me "like" something out of Harry Potter, which is a compliment, btw. However, I cannot recall anything very much analogous to it in any of the books, so please don't worry about it.

Mythical Tiger · Jun 27, 2009

I want to thank everyone for there very much appreciated suggestions and opinions. I will try and figure out a different way of how to describe each year. I have a had a very helpful PM in which has helped me to decide and change a few things with how they get sorted. Thanks guys!

~Sam

I'm a little confused if I should keep it... (similarity to Harry Potter?)

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