Should I worry that my storyline is very similar to another? [closed]
Closed by System on Mar 22, 2019 at 16:00
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I've written a story about anthropomorphic animals in a noirish setting solving murders. I came up with the concept and wrote the first draft about a year ago and am planning on releasing it soon. However, I recently saw a trailer for the movie Zootopia and realised that the basic premise is quite similar, even down to some of the characters. From the looks of things though, my story is far darker and more violent, and the humor style and themes are very different. I'm just worried that if released in such close proximity it might end up being accused of plagiarism.
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1 answer
There are only a few basic storylines. Some say there are only seven basic plots in all fiction. What differentiates different works is the telling. If the telling of your work reminds people too strongly of the telling of another work it will seem derivative. But if the basic story structure does not resemble one of the story archetypes written into the human psyche, it will just seem boring.
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