Here I was, thinking I’d come up with the most original idea of the century. My novel had a riveting plot, unique characters, and a twist you would never see coming!
Except… it all just seemed so damn familiar. My story was about a young girl with special, hidden powers who enters a new world and falls in love. Except… it all gets complicated when she falls in love with a second guy, and not only that, she has to save the world! And did I mention she’s secretly from a royal family and is also a half-mythical creature? I think I pretty much covered all the bases there!
The basic requirements for a young adult, (fantasy) novel:
Young white girl (or harry potter)
Has a special, hidden power
Father or mother died when he/she was young (or maybe not O_o)
Usually an only child and lives with relatives or mother
Enters or discovers a new world
Falls in love, but it’s SUPER complicated
But then suddenly there’s another one he/she also falls in love with
Moral dilemma, who will he/she choose?
And how can he/she save the world?
Finds out he/she is royalty or some kind of half-mythical creature
The bad guy might not necessarily be the bad guy
Saves the world using special powers
Finally reunited with father (wait, he’s alive?)
Either chooses original first love, or the first dies and he/she chooses the second
Here are some popular movies/novels that pretty much follow the formula:
Clary in The Mortal Instruments
Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games Trilogy
Luke Skywalker or Leia Organa in Star Wars
Percy Jackson in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Harry Potter in Harry Potter
Bella swan in The Twilight Saga
Many thanks to this tumblr post for giving me the earth-shattering realisation that my paranormal romance was a YA fantasy novel:
On the plus side, it seems to be a winning formula!!
The Cat's Write 
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