Is my story a rip-off?
So basically I'm writing a story set in a magical world where there are separate covens, each with different mission statements (there is one for those who want to be healers, one for those who want to care for magical animals, etc.). There are also some evil covens who wish to spread their reign of terror. Unfortunately, it's very similar to the anime Fairy Tail, which is set in a fantasy world and involves guilds instead. How can I change it to be different? Please help?
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It's also similar to Harry Potter and Divergent. Just as there was a rash of vampire/paranormal YA fiction after Twilight, there's currently a run on quasi-facist highly and arbitrarily segregated dystopias. Art reacts to life.
Mark is right. Don't worry about whether it's been done before. Write your story and work on doing it right. You can always get feedback from beta readers about whether it feels too derivative and then polish world-building details in later drafts. Get it written now.
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There are no original story ideas. It has all been done before. Any originality lies in the telling, not in the story idea.
And, the publishing industry cares about originality about as much as the pizza industry does. Most customers do not want an original pizza. They want the same pizza they always order served hot, fresh, and on time. The publishing industry wants writers who can deliver familiar stories hot, fresh, and on time.
What is wanted, therefore, is not original ideas, but fresh takes on familiar ideas whose marketability is well known.
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