I consolidated several essays under this title late in 2005 and 
have updated it from time to time.  This latest revision was done 
in February 2011.




                 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 earlier ones, with some new 
material added.  

(Of course, the initial articles sank without a ripple of response, 
which was disappointing...then.  Nowadays, I have given up trying 
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 he outlined, I personally think that 
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.  (The central character in "Lost in the 
Translation" is a classic example.)  Another common theme is the 
woman who "asks for it," but gets much more than she expects -- 
like Judge Ashley Marsh in "Other Side of the Mirror" (etc.) 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 at least one group member -- Arty -- has, in my opinion, done 
some of his best work writing them.)

But, for me, JD's core concepts are contained in items 4, 5, and 6. 
 
Power reversal is key.  One doesn't have to be a nihilist to enjoy 
seeing an arrogant fat cat 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, however, have been 
corrected in the edited versions, and JD's mechanics have improved 
significantly of late.)  But, in my opinion, all of the blemishes 
-- the inadequate proof-reading, homophone errors, metaphorical and 
often corny names (Mr. Codger, Ms. Dyke, Coach Leer, Capt. Gropem, 
Mrs. Spite, Judge Dithers, 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...
 
Ashley Marsh ("Harsh Judgment"): 288-38377-7378 (Prison) 
Brittany ("Visit to Doeville"): 3733-58583-3838 (Prison)
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 Natt ("12 Days...," Part 2): 7383-38383 (Prison) 
Nichole Blunderprone ("Bug in...System"): 338-3834-3887-383 (Prison)
Susan Price ("Robosearch"): 18383 (Badge number) 
Terri London ("The Neglected Note"): 138388 (Refugee camp) and 
  ("L.U.R.D"): 5875-4844-8789 (Prison)
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 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 -- from the first one in the "Strip-Searched" group (SS1), 
which appeared 10 September 2001, through those in Stripsearchtwo" 
(SS2), from autumn 2005 to 31 March 2008 (the end of SS2), and then 
in "Stripsearchthree" (SS3), very briefly in 2008.  (The stories 
posted to SS3 from 10 October 2010 are included in a separate 
list.) 

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
What Happens in Mexico... 

1-star
Boring Party
Brewbottom, Letter Perfect, Parole (+ a sequel by Lakewood) 
Doughnuts 
House Call 
Justice for Judge Tracy
Lakewood's Costume Shop III: Denise Takes Her Medicine
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...
Calendar Girls (30 & 31 December 2005)
	and
Ornaments (23 December 2005)

I originally included these last two primarily because at the time 
I feared they might well be the last brand-new stories we ever got 
from JD.  Happily I was wrong, but take another look at them: he 
brought together a host of his favorite characters...perhaps for 
a final reunion.  Because of that, I was reminded of Parker's 
farewell story, "(fore)Closure."   


Ratings Update, 2010+

I hesitate to mix the following in with the rest, for, after the 
passage of some 5 years, I'm just not as familiar with all the 
stories as I once was, and I'm pretty sure that I can't apply the 
same criteria in the same way.  So 3 stars, say, in 2010 may be a 
bit different than 3 stars had been in 2005.

3 or 4-star
Friendly Mailman (pts 1-2; pt 3 by Lakewood)
Full Employment Act (pts 1-2; pt 3 by Lakewood)

3-star (at least)
Harsh Judgment

2-star
Sucker Bet (pt 1; pt 2 by Lakewood)

Rationale: Both "Mailman" and "Act" were developed in fine fashion 
from fresh plot ideas.  "Bet" is also promising, but it needed a 
Part 2.  "Judgment" was, I think, longer than it should have been, 
but Part 7 was so extraordinarily good that, in my estimation, it 
elevated the entire story to 3-star rank...at least. 

		******************************
                      
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.  And, if one consolidates 
separately posted chapters, the "entire canon" consists of 150 
titles, to date.  It includes some very long, complex stories, like 
"Harsh Judgment" and "Twelve Days of Christmas."  All can be found 
on my ASSTR site.

To put this into perspective, in the mid-90s "deirdre" wrote 
and posted 156 rather minimalist stories,  She is considered 
extraordinarily prolific and has been acclaimed by some as "the 
Internet's greatest writer" (which she certainly was not).  All 
these stories are short, and many are really mere fragments that 
end abruptly and, for me, unsatisfyingly.  Moreover, many of 
those that might be considered more or less "complete" are wildly 
improbable.  One -- "Company" -- is utterly absurd.  Others are 
sort of twisted "slices of life."  Though she did write a few 
memorable stories, I think her work pales in comparison to JD's, 
both in quantity and quality.       
     

