Has this ever happened to anyone else?

[Animus Seed]

Terry Pratchett's Wintersmith

I swear I've been working on a story like this, with the same title, for half-a-year now.

[Photosoph]

Oh man, that's harsh.
But don't worry; there will be differences in your story, including plot, characters, and style, that will set yours apart.

If you're an ideasperson, unfortunately it seems that some of the ideas you come up with by yourself, other people come up with too. Well, at least I've found it happens to me.
Names I thought were original; taken a million times over. =P But that doesn't realy count. I had an idea to write a parody on superheroes exploring more than just the superheroing part of their life, and I was gutted when 'The Incredibles' came out. It took me a while, and I was apprehensious, but I finally watched it, and realised that my ideas and how I'd written them into stories were different, and unique, from it.
Another time, I had an idea which I didn't pursue, which was to create a story about birds, and the secret sort of lives they lead... not the most original, but when I looked at the popular titles, especially Pixar's, and saw the sort of things they'd been producing, I figured 'birds' could possibly be something that would appeal to people. And then I read a book with 'soon to be made into a Disney movie' on the front; you guessed it, it was all about birds.

Things like this do happen, though I'm not sure how similar your idea is to Pratchett's; but here's some words of encouragement that my Mum gave me (can't remember it exactly, but it was something like this):
"If you're getting ideas similar to ones that are being put out there, then it means you're on the right track. You're getting the right ideas, the ones that the public are interested in. Marketable ones."
And then something like this from my sister:
"Your story will be different. They can't copy your style, or characters, or plot twist or ideas exactly, just as you can't do the same to theirs. Yours will be unique, and different to theirs."

So be encouraged; if you're getting similar ideas to what a popular author is putting out, then you're writing stories and getting ideas on what people are interested in reading.

All the best, and hope this will encourage you. I know the feeling. V_V"

[Debitt]

Wow, you and Terry Pratchett must be connected to the same hive mind. O_O

I haven't had something THAT similar happen before, but I will say this - there are no new plot lines under the sun. All the stories that have been written up until this point, when stripped of the author's style such, fit in with a few basic storylines. What really makes a story your own is your style and how you execute it. ^_^ So while I haven't read your writing, I'd say don't worry too much!

[Destiny]

As an interesting side comment I once knew a teacher who said that now there was no such thing as a new plot/book. He claimed that they were just being constantly retold from different perspectives with different characters and styles.

Now I don't know how accurate that is, but I must admit that now days it is hard to come up with a completely original story that no one else even dreamed of.

I am in agreement that your story WILL be different. Your life's expierences and the way you see the world will make a BIG difference in the way you write, and it will influence your characters too...so I wouldn't worry about it!

[Animus Seed]

I haven't had something THAT similar happen before, but I will say this - there are no new plot lines under the sun.

In fact, the plots aren't all that similar (though my Winter-smith was pretty firmly a monomyth*) but the term "Winter-smith" and a boy who is winter were integral to my story. I'm trying to come up with an alternate term, but "White-smith" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

*Joseph Campbell, a mythologist, wrote a book called "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" where he postulated the idea of the "monomyth;" i.e. that all stories are in fact the same story.

[HisaishiFan]

Or you may just want to stick with the name. Apparently, Terry Pratchett saw the name in a phone book and that's what he decided to name the character. BTW, I read the Wintersmith - it was pretty good (I bought it before I realized that it was the end of a trilogy), but it sort of fizzled at the end.