Has this ever happened to you?

What's annoying to me is when I after write something, running across a fairly well known work that's strikingly similar to my own. So I have to tear it up (figuratively) and begin again.

In regards to your stories, like you said, if you're not planning on publishing them, it's okay that they're similar, and if you are one day planning on publishing something, they're probably good practice.

As stated earlier, there has not been anything original written since the Greeks for the most part. Even they were just writing down oral stories that were hundreds or thousands of years old.

Somewhere in an interview J. K. Rowling was asked why there were no American wizards in the books. She stated that she wanted it to be British and that someone else was welcome to write about an American school of magic. This is a paraphrase and I would submit an outline and get it in writing before lawsuits develop. I don't think the author herself would sue, but possibly the publishers and merchandisers.

I have a magical world I am developing and there must always be some sort of similarities. While I am trying to stay away from the Potter world, I am incorporating ideas from other works I have read over the years.

Have fun and good luck.

I started writing stories for fun at the end of the year 2006. I came up with my idea after watching clips from the "eragon" trailer, and I did worry about what people would think about it (considering the movie Eragon supposedly stunk). I still write that story for fun, but I know EXACTLY how you feel. Just stick with what you think is best, until you find an idea that you think will work best for you. Good luck!

edit:

Think about it like this. Harry Potter isn't only about young wizards. Just write what you feel is right.

As long as the name of your main character is not Harry Potter you should be fine! Every one has different point of views, and I'm sure what you express is different than others. If I were you I would even try to publish it! Why do so much work for nothing? Like a music I made with my mouth, I know that the original sounds much better, but what the heck! I posted that on the internet anyways!!! Here it is:

http://digg.com/music/Cool_Music_Played_with_Mouth

Yes! I remember working very hard on a how-to article, laying everything out and trying out what I was telling folks to do. The editor to whom I sent it was was very tactful. "This looks like such-and-such by so-and-so," he said. If you acknowledge him, we might publish it as your version. I looked up the article he cited, and, sure enough, the resemblance was very strong; furthermore, while I didn't remember the article, I had certainly read the magazine it was in. Apparently what I thought was a struggle to create was actually a struggle to remember. I wrote my apologies to the editor, told him what had happened, and thanked him for saving me from an embarrassing mistake.

There had been thousands of boarding school stories before Harry Potter came along, and folks had stopped writing them. There had also been hundreds of stories about wizards and witches. J. K. Rowling was the first to put the two together.

If you wish your book to be distinguished from Rowling's, in your own mind as well as in the minds of readers, there needs to be something to make the stories distinctly different, not merely varying in detail.

Can I give you a suggestion?

Finish writing the piece you're working on and when you've "finished" it, start a new one and make it all your own. You can still do the wizard story, but build your own world and story.

Your first work may never get published, I know mine won't. But don't let this stop you from writing. As you get older you'll develope you're own ideas and worlds. Just keep writing.

Why not try some short stories?

Just put that particular story aside for a few years until Harry's fame dies down. Hopefully, young readers will continue to read after the Harry Potter fiasco and will find new characters to love, which could include yours.

Plus, I find that friends and family are the worst for giving criticism and encouragement. Try letting complete strangers read it; you'll be surprised at the complements you receive.

There are numerous similar stories to HP, and even the author of HP won't sue you if you write similar stories in the same genre. Just don't commit plagiarism (direct copying), and you'll be safe. As to NOT getting your work published: Why not? JK Rowling didn't think her stories would get published either when she submitted her first HP draft to (probably) a tenfold of publishers, before it was accepted and became a hit, followed up by a hit series, followed by a hit series of movies . . .

Totally. I'm also writing a Harry Potter like novel, except I'm adding other thins to it, like LOTR, WOW, and Naruto. I'm also afraid of it leaning too much toward those things. Oh, and, who knows? It's better to try and fail at getting it published than never trying as to not fail. Later.

Maybe, just maybe, you're too used to writing fan-fiction that uses someone else's world and are having a hard time getting away from it. But if it's just in the same genre, there's nothing wrong with it. However ... only you know just what the book says, so only you can fully tell to what extent the similarities go.