Need some opinions/advice, please?

New to writing and have been brain storming ideas. I have two ideas I like but wasn't sure if either were any good. So maybe you could let me know which you'd rather read. And I have a question for each of the ideas.

First idea:
Hope is a “Kumana”, the sprit of a child waiting to be born into the physical world. She discovered her spiritual connection to a woman destined to be her birth mother and has been waiting for her time to be born. Finally that time arrives and she passes through the door from the subconscious world into the conscious one – that is her last memory. She wakes back up in the spirit world where a terrible explanation awaits her. All rejected spirits must accept their failed match and go through a purging process to disconnect from the woman in order to bond with a new potential mother – only Hope knows she wasn't wrong. Her guides have blocked her from her chosen mother, she can't watch her any more, they say its to help the purging process but Hope isn't so sure.

Then a Shaman contacts Hope in the spirit world begging for her help to save his daughter (her chosen mother) from a Witch-doctor who has indoctrinated her into his cult. The only way Hope can help is to come to earth. But the only way that can happen is if the shaman performs a dangerous ritual where he will exchange another person's soul for Hope's temporarily. She will have to live in a physical body that is not hers. Not only is it dangerous as once freed from the body Hope's spirit may struggle to detach itself, but it's consider against the Laws in the spirit world. A spirit can be shunned for taking part in such a ritual. This could be her only chance to get her destiny back on track but if she fails it could cost her everything.

Question: Hope's goal is to make her chosen mother see following this witch-doctor is not what her life is meant to be like. Getting her emotionally back to a place where she can accept motherhood. But if she's doing back things will anyone who reads this support that goal if Hope's mother isn't a good person? At what point does a person not deserve redemption?

Second idea:
Emma is just one of many children who has grown up in this new world. She has lived in the slums all her life, struggling for survival and dreading the selection days when she, her family or any of her friends could be selected for hard labour camps or experiments. Things have always been hard, but they are getting worse. There is barely any food, disease seems to be a constant threat and now babies and children are being collected and taken away to become part of the “Starlight Project”. Emma and her family are desperate to save the newest arrival to the family, baby James, so fall to follow the Law and keep his existence a secret. People are getting desperate and with the promises of a better life to anyone who reports any criminal activity it's only a matter of time before someone caves and reports them. But Emma never expected the betrayal to come from so close to home. Her best friend Alice, is selected for experiments, along with her twin sister. Desperate to survive she reports Emma and her family in return for her families immunity and to be moved to a better camp. Emma and her family are arrested and taken away to a place even worse than their greatest fears.

I'm trying to avoid any type of rebellion as it's quite cliche in Dystopian novels. I wanted the characters to make a stand rather than fight back, or do you think from a idea like this readers would expect more? The last thing I want any readers to think is: “well, you didn't do a lot.” Extreme circumstances require extreme reactions for improvement.

Which idea do you think has the most potential to be something interesting? Thanks so much for taking the time to read and answer.

 

I'd begin by writing both, just short scenes and see which one I feel more excited about.
When it comes to market research, you might want to check out what authors and stories are making it, and compare those books with your stories, and how they might fit in there. You could also post short scenes here, and ask around for beta readers.

 

You've mentioned this second idea before, and I still like it. You should definitely write it. The first is unique in a very creative way though, and I'm a fan of unconventional premises. The solution is to write both, obviously. Do you feel one is stronger, more fleshed out in your mind? I would start with the one you're closest to having figured out entirely.

When they don't want redemption. A well-written character here would have at least some remorse. Unrepentant characters are hard to redeem. Almost all others can turn it around. Think of all the book, film and especially TV characters who were allowed to switch sides after doing unforgivable things.

I think you can write a distopia without a revolution, but things might have to at least be better at the end. Either way, many readers might be looking for a revolution in the sequels. As you said, it's a cliche, but it's a big one for a reason. Star Wars Ep. IV works as a standalone. Then again, the whole thing is about a rebellion. If there had never been second and third Hunger Games novels, the first would be more what you're talking about. There's no revolution, no better treatment from the government, just the personal victory of survival. Unfortunately, for the purposes of this conversation I mean, people expected and received two more novels that involve a revolution. You might have to consider doing the same.

...unless this is a short story. A short is a snapshot. You don't have to solve the problems of the world in a short. You have way too much material for a short though, and I wouldn't lose any of it. You may be stuck fighting the war.

 

I've been thinking about this since I wrote it, and there are big caveats: A bad guy can be nice to children or animals, and we love them. It's almost law. The other is a common enemy/disaster. If someone with no morals teams up on almost anything without double crossing the hero in a serious way, they get a partial-redemption pass with the audience from then on. These exceptions seem to apply to anyone from parents who won't say "I love you" to fire-breathing demons.

 

I like them both, a lot.

It really does come down to writing the stories and seeing how they work as you flesh them out.

 

I like the first one, because as Rzero said it's more unique but the second one presents a lot of conflict and an obvious opportunity to continue the stories but it does feel packed with Dystopian cliches. So I think I'll work on both for a while and see which one I feel more comfortable with.