I hate when people say sorry. It wasn't too lengthy. Honestly, if you are explaining something, take as many words as you need. I don't think that your plot is too ridiculous. Are the changes in the city gradually from "that's strange, blame global warming" to "what the hell is going on with these trees!" Also with the people afraid of the sickness and isolated in their homes and not maintaining the city, the city will be taken overgrowth in weeks. That can be the suddle change that slowly goes into the forested scene.
^ Yes, the changes are gradual, but fast enough to indicate that they have nothing to do with global warming or the heat of summer.
The Plot seems very interesting, it isnt really the type of thing I would be interested, But then again, I love Horror. I am also 13 and Its best to ignore the people who tease at school, That and make dolls that look like them and stick them in a Blender Anyway I think an idea would be make the MC think that the people who have moved in (cant remember her name XD) are evil ro soemthing and try to make the reader think this and then he finds out she is good and a witch. Just an idea.
Lucy E i think its a wicked idea! I think it would be very appealing. Sounds original to me, good luck with it!
Ichi (I'm gonna call you that, since that's what you suggested ), I did that with another character, so I don't think I can do it twice in one story, but thanks for the great suggestion. Aw, thanks so much, wildflower! I posted some of it in the 'Novel' section, if you'd like to read it.
Exactly what I was going to say - although I will happily admit that JustinaB put it far more eloquently than I would be capable of. LucyE, I wouldn't be too worried about any superficial resemblence to JKR's work or the work of anyone else. To be honest, the people who have raised it as an issue are not (in my opinion) doing so because they want to be nasty. I think, as a writer of young adult fantasy, that you have to be aware of what the majority of people are going to think right off the bat. The brutal truth is that any story involving teenagers and magic is going to recieve the label of 'Harry Potter clone' until the writer and the story can prove otherwise. That being said, I think there are sufficient differences for your story to be your own. Throw in some good character development, and you are, in my book, a couple of leagues ahead of Harry Potter anyway. Just please, please don't have your characters mope around for the last four books in the series and then kill the antagonist with 'love'... Shhhh. Don't tell people that - they will start to think that we are strange...
Thanks Obsidian Vulture. Your last comment made me laugh. Don't worry, I hate books in which characters just mope around doing nothing...very annoying.
Good, I'm glad you liked the comments. You get credit for doing Year 12 English as well. I love writing, but am in Year 11 at the moment and hate English as a subject. All we ever seem to do is 'How adolescents are represented in the media' - a topic which always involves watching really stupid, boring movies that are insulting to those of us with half a neuron between us. Give me university level Chemistry, Physics, Biology or Ancient History any day, but advanced English...you must have guts girl, that's all I can say.
I hate English as a subject, too, but I usually get high marks. I don't enjoy the work - all we ever do is follow stupid six-paragraph layout plans to write 'exam-standard' stories. It's rubbish. I hate Biology more than any other lesson, but Chem, Physics and AH are okay. I hate Bio with a passion, though. Lol.
I think that your idea is a good one and although it may follow a typical fantasy template, which story of that genre doesn't . I think your plot is a pretty original one and when I get the time I'm looking forward to reading your first chapter in the review section. Anyway good luck with it. p.s Five novels is an amazing amount for a thirteen year old. I've never finished one and I'm 18 in a week
Thanks! I'm looking forward to reading your review. P.S. Quality not quantity. I'll bet what you've written so far is better than anything I've ever written.
Not sure if it was on this site or another, but one review I recieved for my novel excerpt was that it was too HP-y. I think it is necessary to see where the person reviewing is coming from, and not be defensive because it wont get you anywhere. You asked for opinions, you are given opinions. Now for my personal opinions. You asked if the work is ridiculous, I think it is close to it. This doesn't mean it can't produce a good literary work, however, so keep that in mind. In my head, I'd be thinking this: "Someone devastating the city? Mythical creatures devastating the city? Now they have some fast-spreading disease? How the heck can two people have a love interest when they can't even open their doors without getting infected?" While you may have a valid reason for the last question, some people may not buy into it, and see the whole concept as unrealistic. Then again, there are people who will your work as a satire of Nazism. The creatures could represent the Nazis, the disease something else. Then there is the strength the two main characters show by working together and working through it all. It all depends on how this is interpreted. (Then again, JKR's work has also a lot of symbolism regarding the Holocaust, but I digress.) There you have it, my opinions. =)
I was being defensive because I don't believe that a love interest, witches, and an enemy who turns out to be an ally (under completely different circumstances at that) is a valid basis on which to claim that my work is derivative of Rowling's. The mythical creatures aren't exactly devastating the city. They're the cause of the disease. Leo and Emma have magic in their blood, which makes them more or less immune to the disease as the disease itself is caused by magic. Also, please bear in mind that this is a novel for children and teens. When you strip other children's books' plots down as I have mine, their concepts often seem unrealistic too. Please don't accuse me of being defensive, I'm merely giving you some reasons for various occurences throughout the story.
I do not see any thing similar between the to stories except for the fact that they are both "teen wizzards" which as long as he does not go to an all magical school im sure lucy will be fine al.
I see where you're coming from. That's fine. You seem to be a fine writer, so I do hope you post some excerpts in the review section for us to see!
Wow I just read through like four pages of comments. Just to reply to some of them, I would say that your plot really doesn't remind me at all of Harry Potter. As I've already posted in another threads, all plots are going to contain some similarities, particularly if they are of the same genre, so having magical powers is not a viable similarity to point out lol. And to the person who said she couldn't be published (no offense) but that's a little rude, first because you said it as if she wouldn't read that comment, and second because anyone can be published. Picasso was a genius at age five, Mozart composed his first symphony when he was like four or some other ridiculously young age, Paolini wrote Eragon when he was fifteen. Why can't she write a good novel and publish it at age 12? Now, to address your actual plot. Personally, I would read that, but it really depends on your writing skills. Anyway, the plot is interesting, and I like the idea of fantasy/ magic in New York. It seems like you have a good backstory already planned out, so I wish you the best of luck? As to your original question, does it sound too ridiculous, not at all, not as ridiculous certainly as an orphan who travels to a wizard school through a normal train station by running at a barrier lol. One thing, though, is the whole Anti-elf name. if they are a species of elves, they shouldn't be anti-elves. Just a thought. And did you say you'd written 300+ novels???? Geez, I was proud of myself for writing like eighty pages once!
I'm sure she doesn't want to write like Paolini, hopefully she wants to write something that's actually good (i.e. doesn't read like word vomit). On topic, nah, the plot isn't too ridiculous. It's hard to do too ridiculous in the fantasy genre. As long as you write it well and don't have any major plot holes most people (especially in your target age group) will accept it.
Silly seantrott - she said that she had writted five novels with more than 300 pages each, not 300 novels! To write 300 novels by LucyE's age would be a spectacular feat, as you would have to be churning out one book a fortnight (presuming you started writing the day that you were born, which is unlikely). If we cut the figure down so that writing starts at a reasonable (but still very early) age of about 5, you would have to write a novel a week! To pull that off, you would write about 43 pages a day - very impressive. The great thing about the target age group is that even if a novel does have major plot holes (and I'm not saying that LucyE's does) they will read it. Actually, if anyone who is writing fantasy needs inspiration - just think of the fact that Rowling and Paolini were published with their teenage angst and Star Wars rip-offs. If they can get published, anyone can!
I would not place Rowling in the same slime pit as Paolini. She deserves better. The Harry Potter series may not top the pinnacle of literary accomplishment, but it is one of the best works to come out in a long time for her target audience.
I most certainly do NOT want to write anything like Christopher Paolini's Eragon books. What a load of clichés! I prefer to write my own ideas, not rip-offs of other people's. seantrott, as Obsidian Vulture said, I've written 5 novels with 300+ pages. I couldn't manage 300+ novels, in spite of the fact that I'm a total genius...nah, kidding about the last bit. Lol! But thanks for your comments. I appreciate them. Same goes for everyone else's!
