Young Writers Society

Don't worry about it!

For starters, ideas can't be copyrighted. So even if you have a similar idea, you're safe unless you have stuff that ends up absolutely identical or so close you look at it twice.

And maybe more importantly, executions change. You can start off at exactly the same place with an idea, but two people will see it completely differently. This means that the likelihood you'll copy something (especially since you're aware of it) is a lot lower.

So go write the idea if you love it. You'll go through tons of revisions, come up with more cool ideas, and generally make it your own.

Happy writing!

To be honest, aside from the amnesia bit, this reminds me of Lord of the Flies with the whole good/evil shindig you've got going here. Which isn't a bad thing at all, because nothing is purely original and most of the stuff we write is based off the kind of things we are exposed to. I'm going to echo Rosey in saying that you should just go with it at this point. (I discovered that I had switched MCs while writing my novel, and it's perfectly /fine/. In fact, in a first draft, everything goes, just as long as you're getting solid material down.)

This is actually a pretty interesting blurb you've provided here, and you should totally just go for it!

Psh, if it would have ended with an evil organization that was keeping them trapped there and experimenting on them, then it would be REALLY close maze runner. But the way your story would unfold is different and unique, and i think it would make an awesome story the way you described it! Besides if you wanna get down to brass tax almost every idea has been done in some manner or capacity before. I mean, even George Lucas admits that his story is essentially a few different previous ideas and works pulled from and stitched together in a new unique setting. I can't remember each of them, but the main ones were Dune, Flash Gordon, The Hidden Fortress, and idea's i mentioned would be Joseph Campbell (i read and watch way too much stuff on the internet). Here, this is a link to an article that dissects what i just summed up:

http://moviepilot.com/posts/3617299

I believe that what your worrying might be interpreted as copying and ripping off a previous work is really just inspiration. i mean, seriously, think about Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase. Do you think Rick Riordan never read Harry Potter?

Seeing as it's one of those classics of literature that almost everyone has to read in school...that I actually really love, I'll say that having similar plot structures to 'Lord of the Flies' doesn't sound like such a bad thing.

In fact, it's one of the main reasons I decided to stick it through with 'The Maze Runner'; the whole children in these situations aspect is really interesting.

I like your introduction to it here though. I'd check it out if you posted some of it. The names on the wall also remind me of 'Lost', which is never a bad thing.

It's normally useful to do a bit of research into what other fiction is out there that would be similar to your book before you actually write it, so finding something with a similar plot or theme to yours can actually be quite useful.

Note what works
There is a reason twenty thousand romance novels have the exact same plot, but people still read them. The familiar elements promise to deliver something enjoyable. It also makes it easier to pitch when you can compare your work to that of others. Think of the novel that is similar to yours and make note of what works and what your peers or audience like about it.

Note what doesn't
It's good to learn from your mistakes, but it's even better to learn from others. Check out the similar novels and consider what you would do differently, or which parts weren't received so well by the audience.

Don't be scared to steal ideas
That's how things become familiar to their genre. Go back fifty years ago, the idea of a vegetarian vampire would have been ridiculous, but now it's quite a common concept in YA horror and supernatural stories.

Know what's out there
None of us are immune to culture, and in many cases the less aware you are of the influences of other writers, the more likely you are to copy them. By being aware of what's out there you can adopt the aspects you like and purposely deviate from the things you don't.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you go ahead with this idea, I love stories that dance around a fire of moral ambiguity.