Should I combine these two story ideas?

Question

I've got two story ideas, and yesterday I asked a question about which one I should write. The people liked both of them, but they really liked the second idea because it's more original than the first. But I can't really choose between them, and I don't want to write two separate stories (because they are quite similar), so I thought of just combining them. What do you think?

1. This one's a bit like Harry Potter because it's about magic, and it has a magic school. The main character is not a witch, but she gets into the school because they get her name mixed up with someone else, and they send her a letter. She gets the letter and it tells her how to get to the school, but you have to get through a magical barrier where only magic beings can get through. She gets through it, so the school believes that she is a witch. However, she isn't. The truth is (this will be revealed at the end) EVERYONE is magic, not just the witches and wizards. They are more magical than ordinary people, but ordinary people still have some magic in them (love), that is why the girl can get through to the school. But she's not good at magic at all at the start, and this is because she doesn't have much "love" (the magic...) in her, because her parents are busy business people and never really show that they love her. As the story goes on, the main character makes some really good friends and starts getting better at magic as she gets more "love," because she loves her friends. I have heaps of other ideas for the story, such as the main character getting expelled from school and being sent to a school for dark magic. This story will be a bit hard to write because I have to make sure it's not too much like Harry Potter.

2. Another magic story, however it's not really like Harry Potter so I won't have to worry about that. A girl finds an antique mirror but it's no ordinary mirror. It leads to another world, where everything is completely opposite to her world. Everyone she knows is in the this world, except they are opposite (a nice person would be a bad person in this world), including herself. The opposite of herself is the villain of the story.

Answer 1

I say scrap the first idea. It sounds WAY too much like Harry Potter.

The second story sounds far more original and interesting, and also would be more likely to get published since it isn't similar to anything out there already. Also, I can't really think of a way you could combine the two ideas, unless she finds the mirror AT the school.

Answer 2

It seems to me that your common link between these two stories is an adoption agency. You also have hospitals. One mental, one physical. At first, I thought perhaps you could have these two main characters meet one another through a common factor in the stories. After I finished reading both, I still think this is possible, but "Ethan" puts a twist that I'm not sure how to incorporate. But, if you used the concept of some major event that took place at the adoption agency that affected both girls, that neither were aware of until later when they went in search of answers, or discovered something that lead them back to the adoption agency, maybe you could intertwine the two stories in this way. Another thought, is that the "bad guys" are somehow connected to "Grace" and Grace and Ethan try to help Melanie. Maybe her adopted parents or family friends of theirs. Oohh! And you could use drugs or hypnosis techniques by the bad guys on both Nick and Grace to somehow incorporate it as a delusion. I don't know. I'm just throwing around ideas. Hopefully, something I say will be useful in unblocking your own ideas. Like I said previously, you could even use the hospitals as a common thread. Maybe an evil doctor that selected them for some special purpose and was able to keep track of them. Hope these ideas are at least inspirational!

Answer 3

These are really good ideas. I think if you want to write a sequel to the first idea you could incorporate the mirror idea. Or you could just write them separately, with no magic in the second (except for the mirror).

Answer 4

i think you should combine both ideas because the first is too much like harry potter and the second one has been done a lot of times before. But their both good ideas.

Answer 5

I think you should write the second one on its own because it sounds more original.

I liked the first idea but then again I liked Harry Potter so I could see the similarities.

Hope I helped!

Answer 6

You should combine them. Like how she had the mirror before she's accepted into the school and used to enter it as a kid, but as she grew up, stopped because she "no longer believed" and was too "grown up" but when she gets accepted, she remembers. And then you can go on with what ever from there.

Answer 7

you should write both but start with story 2 it is easier and you can be more well known so the next book you write will be read by more people and also you can write the easy one first then the hard one to get the feel for it.

Answer 8

GREAT STORY IDEAS. I think you can combine these and make 1 really good story or U can just make 2 seperate really good stories depends on ur time barrier and how many more ideas u hae

Answer 9

Whoa!!! Those are both awesome ideas!! I definitely think you should combine them! I really want to read the full versions of the stories now! Maybe I can?..;)

Answer 10

They both sound awesome. You should definitely combine them, I for one always enjoy more complexity and layers as long as there is a point to them. Email me the finished product!!