Read a novel, it matches my unfinished novel 80% the same characters with different name similar event

[Guest]

Really felt so numb right now.. I don't know.

Read a novel, it matches my unfinished novel 80% the same characters with different name similar event.

I don't know if it's a coincident.

I just felt devastated.

[Danielle]

Even if everything was the same, it's the way YOU tell the story that makes it unique. I did this experiment with a class a few times over the years. Gave them ALL the same basic details - character names, situations they were in, same triggering event and so on. Every single story was different. Because everybody comes at it from a different point of view. Best wishes and don't worry.

[Salma]

That doesn't mean anything, you wrote it in your own style, and put your effort into it, and even though it might resemble another novel, I'm sure it has it's own magic, so don't worry too much.

[Elizabeth]

Imagine if Suzanne Collins had stopped writing The Hunger Games when someone told her that her work in progress was very similar to an existing novel called Battle Royale.

[David]

If you're worried about your novel being different, don't worry about it. Romance novels are 90% the same, and that's why they sell - because people know what to expect and enjoy it. If the other book sold really well it's probably good for your novel. Don't think you have to be different and stand out to be successful.

[Barbara]

Don’t worry - there’s nothing new under the sun!! Your story will be told, though, in your own unique fashion.

[Tanya]

Troupes are often the same. There’s only so many of them to use as the foundation of the story and millions of versions of them. But every version is slightly different and those differences are what matters. I think you’re taking the similarities to heart and not realizing the differences really do set it apart.

[Blacke]

Shakespeare only wrote two stories that were original to him - The Tempest, and Love's Labours Lost. Everything else that he wrote was a rewrite of something else. Hamlet was a retelling of an old Danish story about a boy named Amleth. Romeo and Juliet was a story that his audience would have already been completely familiar with. King Lear, Macbeth, and the history plays all came straight out of the history books. His Richard III was taken from histories written by people who wanted to suck up to the present administration - this is why he wrote Richard as a complete vicious b*stard, and this is the way most people think of him now, even though most histories today realize that this was political propaganda. Write your story and don't worry about it. Make it yours, and maybe yours will be the one that's remembered four hundred years from now.

[Tia]

It's the same with Hallmark movies, but I still love watching them. People like what they like.

[Gabriela]

I felt the same way when Netflix released Sense 8. The premise of a group of people being psychically connected while also being able to channel one another AND use their skills is what MY story is 100% about. They even used 3 names I was debating on using lol I felt sucker punched when I watched the first couple of episodes. But then I kept watching and realized it had nothing to do with my story and was its own individual creation.

You’re going to find similarities EVERY where. The only thing you can do is write your story how YOU see it. Even if its 80% similar, the end result is what matters most. Is the resolution in your story the exact same as the one you just read? If not, then keep going! A Beauty and the Beast has been retold millions of times. You never know who else will read the book you read, then read yours and realize they liked YOUR version better.

Tl;dr keep writing. Never stop. If you find similarities then tweak what you want but always remember: retellings exist and they’re popular for a reason

[Julia]

I feel like that with my debut novel Wizard's Masquerade. Now that it's out, the similarities with Harry Potter and a few scenes/tropes From Blood and Ash (which I only read after publishing) are striking. And now that I'm writing the sequel, I'm noticing some of my ideas show up in existing books I haven't read which I hope means it's a tried and tested scene that readers will enjoy?

Readers often don't mind predictability in story though, they care about your characters, worldbuilding and how you make them feel. Stepping into a world that feels a little familiar can be a good thing. Like when you really want to experience a favourite book or movie for the first time but dont want to reread exactly that

[Emily]

If you look at them Harry Potter and Narnia share the theme of the saviour dying for the salvation of others then coming back from death …. Which is the pivotal moment in the bible story.

But how it’s was done made it stand out.

[Anthony]

Comparison is the thief of Joy, finish your novel. What's unique about your stories, is you... You write them, you feel them, they are born from your imagination, regardless of inspiration. It's the journey that counts, the journey is the destination, finish your novel, for you.