I wrote this consolidated version late in 2005 and have updated it from time to time. This latest revision was done in November 2010. JOE DOE: MASTER STORYTELLER by C. Lakewood Joe Doe is not called a "master storyteller" for nothing. I am convinced that he was the single most important factor in the success of the original Strip-Searched group. And I sometimes worried whether a minuscule response rate in the polls and the occasional post of "Awesum story, Joe!!!" were thanks enough. At the beginning of 2004, I got the notion that we might encourage more feedback by holding a contest in which members would choose their favorite JD stories -- and tell why. So I did an article on Joe, updated it about a year later, and was working on yet another brief update when the group was torpedoed. The present article is a consolidation of those others. (Of course, the article sank without a ripple of response, which was disappointing...then. Nowadays, I have given up attempting to increase member participation, and I'm much happier as a result. But I still find JD's writings an interesting subject for analysis. Fortunately, he himself has supplied a framework for that.) ****************************** What makes "a good strip search story"? First of all, let me lay out the criteria -- or, rather, let JD himself do it in the sixth item he ever posted. In his article, "A Good Strip Search Story," which, incidentally, ought to be the vade mecum of anyone aspiring to write such a story, Joe sets forth seven characteristics or elements: 1) The victim should be innocent of any crime that would justify her stripping. 2) Events should conspire against the victim to gradually remove her control over the situation; she isn't strip-searched because she is a hardened criminal; she is stripped because of a series of trivial mistakes or unlikely coincidences. 3) Her predicament may be arranged by a rival, or by a malevolent authority figure abusing his power, or it may be totally accidental. But, no matter how bizarre the circumstances, she is quickly powerless to resist. 4) The victim may consent to some or all of her search, and she might become aroused by some aspects of it. But she should also find the whole procedure deeply and intensely humiliating. 5) The victim should be powerful, successful, and intelligent. She should fully appreciate the injustice of the outrageous indignities she is subjected to. If the victim tries to use her superior power or intellect to avoid stripping, she’ll be thwarted by her inferiors. 6) The perpetrators should enjoy the search and go out of their way to make it as humiliating as possible. They should be of a lower social class or be a rival seeking vengeance. In a way, the strip search is a role reversal. 7) The ending should imply that there are still more indignities to come. Of these seven elements that Joe outlined, I personally think number 1 needs to be modified. Time after time in JD's stories, the "victim" IS guilty of something -- arrogance, most commonly -- and usually does deserve at least some of what she gets. Nicole, in "Bug in the System," is an excellent case in point; there are many others. ("Lost in the Translation" is a classic, for example.) Another common theme is the woman who "asks for it," but gets much more than she expects -- like Judge Ashley in "Other Side of the Mirror" or Sharon in "Inspection." But these women are hardly "innocent" either. Number 7, which encourages the reader to actively engage his own imagination, is now considered a hallmark of his stories. It provides a context for readers' fantasies -- and for possible sequels. In my own stories, I have likewise tried to provide a resolution, but not necessarily a conclusion. (While on the subject of sequels, I should remind everyone of JD's extraordinary literary generosity in allowing members almost carte blanche to do sequels. I started out writing a couple, in fact, and more than one group member has, in my opinion, done his best work writing them.) But, for me, the core concepts are contained in numbers 4, 5, and 6. Power reversal is key. One doesn't have to be a nihilist to enjoy seeing a fat cat bitch getting her comeuppance. (A few years back, the great Parker wrote a story entitled "Charlotte," in which a ruthless, self-absorbed, super-rich bitch dominates and, for all practical purposes, destroys a poor, young, female hotel desk clerk. This story, while not without its moments, is ultimately unsatisfying. How much more powerful it would have been if the Domme/sub roles had been somehow reversed.) Aspiring porn writers can learn a lot from reading JD -- I know I did. The pacing, the paragraphing, the twists and turns (sometimes surprising and often humorous), the tidy but "open" endings (number 7 on his list) are all worthy of study. Indeed, he explained the reason for that sort of "teaser ending" -- which is now a hallmark of his stories and which often goads readers into screaming for a sequel. In a message that appeared in January 2003, titled, "Response to Various Authors and Critics," he pointed out that "the mechanics of the searches tend to be very similar: the setups, scenarios, and mental state of the characters are what make the stories unique.... I think the 'teaser' stories allow me to explore various fantasies without becoming overly repetitious." It works for me. But his stories are certainly not perfect. There are plenty of things in his originals that the more punctilious among us would certainly consider defects. (Many of these have been corrected in the newly edited versions.) But, in my opinion, all of those blemishes -- the inadequate proof-reading, homophone errors, metaphorical and often corny names (Mr. Codger, Ms. Dyke, Coach Leer, Capt. Gropem, etc.), questionable demographics (half of Doeville seems to be named "Johnson," for example), misused quote marks, bad punctuation, over-used proper nouns and under-used pronouns, historical inaccuracies, occasional plot glitches, etc. -- do not alter the fact that he remains, indeed, a "master storyteller." ****************************** Numerology Notes The curious numerical patterns found in JD's stories are intriguing. Consider the numbers assigned to various characters... Carrie Paris ("12 Days of Christmas," Pt 11): 338-3838-3484 (Prison) Chris Kelly ("Pacific Blue Riddle"): 3738-3838-84478 (Prison) Chris Monday ("Earn What You're Worth"): 5748-383483-84488 (Slave) Cynthia Jackson ("Photo Analysis," Part 3): 3738-3843-3838 (Prison) Debra Norton ("TV News Babe in Jail!"): 8848-4848-A8 (Prison) Heather Grant ("Pending Arrest"): 18383-8383-47478 (Prison) Jennifer Lowe ("Santa Search"): 85585-83383 (Prison) Miranda Gray ("Gothika"): 337-3838-5757 (Asylum) Natalie Porter ("12 Days...," Part 2): 7383-38383 (Prison) Nichole Blunderprone ("Bug...."): 338-3834-3887-383 (Prison) Susan Price ("Robosearch"): 18383 (Badge number) Terri London ("one Question Too Many," "Teasing Terri." "L.U.R.D."): 5875-4844-8789 (Prison); ("The Neglected Note"): 138388 (Refugee camp) Tracy Smith ("Newsbabe Tracy's Halloween Scoop"): 3838-3738 (Prison) Wendy Wicker ("Figurines," Part 1): 7338-3838-4747 (Prison) And to laws ("12 Days...," Part 2): 738-383, 3883-383, & 38383-3838 The 3s and 8s suggest a mammary fascination, perhaps; what the 4s and 7s mean, though, is anybody's guess. ****************************** My Story Ratings The list below is highly idiosyncratic, and most of the ratings are subject to change. If I were making a list sometime in the future, for example, I probably would pick the same stories (almost all of them, anyway). I'm sure that "Bug in the System" (in my estimation, JD's masterpiece) would be at the top, and that the 4-star stories would still have four stars, but there would undoubtedly be some shuffling of titles amongst the other three categories. (A couple in the 1-star group might not be included at all. Indeed, "House Call" has been on and off the list several times. Several others have repeatedly just missed the cut, for one reason or another.) And note that this is a list of the JD stories that I personally consider most exemplary; just because I omitted a story, don't imagine that I necessarily think it's a bad one. But it is true that you won't find any of the sci-fi, time travel, or superhero stories here -- and only one historical. While trying different contexts is commendable, I just don't think these stories quite measure up. His métier is elsewhere. In compiling this list, I considered every Joe Doe story so far posted, in the "Strip-Searched" group (SS1) and "Stripsearchtwo" (SS2), from the first story in SS1 (10 September 2001) through the end of SS2 (31 March 2008), and in "Stripsearchthree" (briefly in 2008 and from 10 October 2010). 5-star Bug in the System 4-star 75% Off (pts 1, 2, 4; pt 3 by Ashley Marsh; 5 by Lakewood & friend) Foreign Forms Gothika Open Book Exam Other Side of the Mirror 3-star Back in School (Joe's 3rd story posted) Drive for Humiliation, version 2 Inspection Just Like Old Times Lost in the Translation (the 7th post) Repeat Offender Trick or Treat 2-star 12 Days of Christmas Bimbo Barbie's Close Shave (+ sequels by Kopema and by Deputy Duffy) Costumes and Pumpkins Crazy Mistake Linda's Labor Day Lesson Memorial Day Was No Picnic Pacific Blue Riddle Searching Sara Test Drive (pts 1 & 3; pt 2 by Wraith) Virtual Search Visitor Policy Q&A 1-star Boring Party Brewbottom, Letter Perfect, Parole (+ a sequel by Lakewood) Doughnuts House Call One Question Too Many (Joe's 4th story posted) Phone First Revolutionary Inspiration Uninformed Then Uniformed (pts 1, 2, 3; pts 4-5 by FatherJim and Lakewood; pt 6 by Lakewood) Worst Part is the Waiting (+ a prequel and 3 sequels by Arty) Also getting one star are two special groups: First, both for merit and (especially) for originality... Charlie's Angels Unthrottled and Commercials We'd Like to See More Commercials We'd Like to See Still More Commercials We'd Like to See Second, the last two stories posted... Calendar Girls (30 & 31 December 2005) and Ornaments (23 December 2005) I include these two primarily because they may well be the last brand-new stories we ever get from Joe. It's been some time since we've heard from him, and we have no way of initiating contact with him. Take another look at those stories: he has brought together a host of his favorite characters...perhaps for a last reunion. Because of that, I am reminded of the Seinfeld series finale -- or Parker's farewell story, "(fore)Closure." This is one of the very few times in my life when I hope I'm wrong. [Note: I was wrong.] Still, on the bright side, there do remain over 100 newly-edited titles (many with multiple parts) that have not yet been posted in this group...but eventually will be (Yahoo permitting). ****************************** I hope this article prompts people to go back and re-read JD's work -- not just those stories above, but as much of the entire canon as possible -- and judge for themselves.