A question for dio story authors.....

[ender098]

Who do you make dio stories for?

I got an email from someone who read one of my dios and said he thought the story should have been different. I can't remember if it was a plot device, characters or just the general story telling he thought should be done different, but although he liked my story, he thought that the changes he suggested could make the story better.

Now, I'm fairly open minded to criticism, but when do you draw the line and quit giving them what they want and tell the story you want to tell? That is what I mean by "who do you make dio stories for". Do you make them mainly to express yourself or to entertain and inspire others to make their own? I mean look at the comics and now the movie! When does the artist (Director/Producer) say "I don't care what YOU want, this is MY Project."

It's an interesting question. If no one read your stories, would you still make them?

Are they an outlet for you, or something you create to get imput from others? With me personally, I like to inject some of myself into the story I tell. I like dark sets and gritty violent action, but on the otherhand, I don't like to kill off Characters just for something to do. And even if no one read my stuff, I'd still make my dios. And if the only way I could get people to read my stuff was to use bright sets and more dialog than action, I'd probably just make them for myself.

What are your thoughts on this?

[lehsreh]

[COLOR=Red]i do my dios first and foremost for myself. as anyone who has read my few can see. the characters i use are not characters most would want to see, and the ones most love are seen in a different light from my point of view. it is a way for me to tell my story of G.I. Joe the way i want it to be.

as for would i do it if no one read them? from the replies to my dios only 8 to 10 people read them. and yes, i am still going to do them. actually there going to get bigger and bigger as my collection grows. if someone doesnt like the way i tell my story, which i know there are going to be many if they read them. then make your own and let me read it. even if you hate my dio, i would love to read yours.[/COLOR]

[General Scarlett]

I take pics and tell stories and have spent the past 25 years 're-inventing' MY Joeverse for myself.......and Flint, as my 'wingman' has been the only person who's input and influence have made any difference to how G.I. Joe and Cobra (and any offshoot branches, etc...) move through our Joeverse..........


I'll listen and politely thank people for their thoughts and input..........but at the end of the day, it's what WE want that makes it to the page, stage and print...... ;)

[ToneGunsRevisited]

I try to make something that will make me and the guys/gals that read my dios happy. Most of the stories didn't need to be conected, so it isn't a big deal to kill characters to me. But I wouldn't change a dio just 'cuz one of the readers asked.

[Hammerfel]

I'm a little different. I FEED off my audience's enjoyment of my work. the more good feedback I get, the more likely I am to keep going. That's pretty much why I made JoeDios.com, so there would be a place that would serve as the central hub for Joe Dioramas and stories, and the feedback they get, forever. I didn't like other sites' policies of deleting old forum threads, as the feedback an author gets on a work of art is very important to that author.

So, in a nutshell, if it weren't for the audience, I probably wouldn't do dios. I like to be entertaining and surprising.

BUT, that doesn't mean I do whatever my audience suggests. Several viewers emailed me to complain about the brief flirtatious comment Scarlett makes to Kamakura in the 2nd scene of my first chapter. They didn't like the idea that Scarlett would take notice of any man but HER man, Snake Eyes. But people are human, and I did it for a good reason, which will be revealed somewhere around Chapter 10.

Other feedback I accept and incorporate. Like people complaining about Outback sleeping through the alarm in my dio. That doesn't make sense. I would fix it, but it kinda had to be that way since my Outback has such loose joints he can't stand up. :)

Also, I over-used depth-of-field in that garage scene, making important parts in-focus and background stuff blurry, but I overdid it and made it TOO blurry. I'll use a higher F-stop next time.

[Sonneilon]

Interesting topic.

I have to think back to Transformations to see how I did things.

It's tricky to do a dio. I think it comes down to this. The creator can use any character they choose but what it takes is storytelling and characterization to get the reader to care. I like creating my own universe so I try not to take things for granted in that people KNOW my characters. For that reason alone, I haven't had Duke or Hawk in a prominent role. It's a chance for the creator to play around a bit. But as long as we care or take interest in the character, things can work out for the better.

A great example is Ender and Raven's dio crossover. Awesome example of making things personal.

I do the stories for myself but I know that if I don't make them remotely interesting, nobody will take notice. I think it's also inceredibly hard to try and tell a story with characters everyone hates. Like, you do a story with Duke, it better be pretty good since I'm one of the biased ones. (jab)

Some of you out there KNOW that I bounce ideas off ya. See if the ideas are sound and if they'll float. It's always good to ask around cuz you kinda create your own audience. As GS said, at the end of the day, it's our story and we ain't changing it.

[Self-Modifier]

Pretty much everything I do is something I would've wanted to see when I was a kid. I like "grown-up" stories to read, but everything I write is aimed at the 7-to-12-year-old in me... Which isn't to say they can't be enjoyed by adults, as has been made apparent by the comments I've received. But the kid-factor is why my stories contain lots of elements (ideas, characterizations, etc.) borrowed from the cartoons and comics of both universes, and why I love to throw in scenes of Optimus Prime and Duke doing super-heroic things.

And I definitely agree with this statement Hammerfel made up above:

[QUOTE=Hammerfel]I'm a little different. I FEED off my audience's enjoyment of my work. the more good feedback I get, the more likely I am to keep going.[/QUOTE]

I wasn't even intending to make a dio-story! I just posted a few pages for fun, and they got such a positive response that I kept adding more and more till this thing turned into the full-blown saga that it is today.

[General Scarlett]

[QUOTE=Hammerfel].............They didn't like the idea that Scarlett would take notice of any man but HER man, Snake Eyes................[/QUOTE]

Ummmmmmmmm...............yeahhhhhh...........'cept that Scarlett's man is DUKE.......thanks!!! ;) :p :cool:

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=Hammerfel]I'm a little different. I FEED off my audience's enjoyment of my work. the more good feedback I get, the more likely I am to keep going. That's pretty much why I made JoeDios.com, so there would be a place that would serve as the central hub for Joe Dioramas and stories, and the feedback they get, forever. I didn't like other sites' policies of deleting old forum threads, as the feedback an author gets on a work of art is very important to that author.[/QUOTE]

Hammerfel, we're thankful that you did create this site, because it's an awesome place to share ideas and learn from others. :) And the fact you don't delete old stuff is great as well, it's nice to know that our work, which is important to us, won't be deleted anytime soon; I still get occasional comments on pics I posted years ago.

Although I concentrate on one-shots rather than dio stories, I would still do them if this site didn't exist, because I enjoy it as a hobby. But there is no denying that it's a lot more rewarding and fun to share your pics with your peers, and to offer feedback on the work of the bevy of talented contributors here, many of whom have become firm friends over the two and a half years I've been posting here.

[Sonneilon]

SelfMod said something I should've. I do this for fun and I do stories that I wanted to always kinda see.

[Flatline]

I Think Outrider Said It Best For Me. :)

I Have Always Loved Setting Up My Toys And Creating Stories In My Mind. Thankfully I Found This Site And All The Friends I've Made.

[Sonneilon]

Don't forget that by taking pictures of our toys, it means we have to play with them. I mean, pose them and stuff. At least we have an EXCUSE to collect and play with them, right? UNLIKE other toy collectors! :p

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=Sonneilon]Don't forget that by taking pictures of our toys, it means we have to play with them. I mean, pose them and stuff. At least we have an EXCUSE to collect and play with them, right? UNLIKE other toy collectors! :p[/QUOTE]

Heh heh, good point G! I always tease my wife when she buys Beanie Babies sealed in plastic boxes that she'll never open. I don't see the point. I want to get my Joes dirty, if you know what I mean. I want to enjoy them, not just look at them. That's why I've never understood MIB and MOC collectors. Are they Joe fans, or are they in it for the money? :confused:

[ender098]

Hammerfel,
I think your post was the most complete and was most what I was looking for. I think we ALL feed off our audiences's praise. It's great we can share this hobby and give each other feedback, help and assistance. That's why I spend more time at this site than any other. I too listen to criticism and take it to heart. If theres a suggestion that will work, I try it. It doesn't always come out for the better, but if it is a SOUND idea and doesn't take away from the way I portray certain characters or elements of the story, I try it. I think the question I am getting, maybe, is where do you draw the line? Where do you say "That might work in a dio, but that's NOT What I do!

For example someone mentioned before that my sets are typically dark. Well, that's part of my story....my "JoeVerse" as you will, and that's where I draw the line. To take Bright, outdoor pictures would be a dead giveaway that it's not something I made. Sort of like ViolentFX. If he started shooting outside using natural lighting, I wouldn't know his work by looking at it.....he makes awesome indoor sets and his lighting is what I like to call "Faux Natural" . It's awesome. He is one of my inspirations and I hope to be as good as he is someday! I can see one shot in his dios and tell it's his work. I personally can't do that with mine yet....can anyone else look at my pics and tell them by a certain "tag" trait?


Another Example is General Scarlett, in her JoeVerse, Duke and Scarlett are an Item. A lot of people don't like that, but it's "what she does"..if she gives in, the work no longer becomes an expression of her but a cheap imatative attempt to please the fans.....

Do you have a line? Where is it? What is it? I think that was what I was driving at....how close are you willing to go to giving up your "artistic license" to please the audience?

Thanks all for the awesome input, not only to this thread, but to my work, be it pictures, reviews, how-to's or dios! Your input, although not always agreed with by me, is appreciated and listened to! And here's to many more wonderful years of "JoeDios"......

[Prince Adam]

[QUOTE=Flatline] I Think Outrider Said It Best For Me. :)

I Have Always Loved Setting Up My Toys And Creating Stories In My Mind. Thankfully I Found This Site And All The Friends I've Made. [/QUOTE]


This is me in a nutshell!

[snakeeater]

I do my dio stories mostly for myself, I'm doing the stories that I would like to read, and I love the way the story comes out almost like it is in my head. Of course feedback is important, because if nobody liked what I was doing, I would probably spend my time doing something else, but I enjoy having a creative outlet. If you tell a story you like, there is a good chance most people will like it too, so I pretty much will tell the story the way I want to, and hope the audience likes it, which it seems to so far. I've pretty much only gotten constructive criticism, and it's usually things I didn't think to incorporate before. While feedback is important I can't worry too much about it, because if it isn't fun for me to do it, there's no point in doing it.

[Ion]

Finally time to write something :)

In my case it's a bit of everything from things mentioned above.
I do love to play and pose my Joes (and yes - I DO like to get them dirty. After all - I got all my childhood collection and they look well even though I played with them a lot and quite rough sometimes :) ), I also like to tell stories and more or less my dios are something I always wanted to see on the TV series and so on.
The line? I got it the golden way for me - I more or less know what the audience would like to see and include it, but it's mostly in case of fighting and blowing up stuff. Then - characters, plot, figure selection - it's all my invention and I don't care much for what was in comic or TV. As you can see anyay :)

[Acantilado]

Well, I'm still working on my first ever diostory, and I am doing it for myself; but of course I expect some feedback from others, so I can get a different POV of my work, which I think is always positive, not only that, but necessary. I could do it for my sole pleasure, but then I wouldn't be able to know if my story is really interesting, or which are its weak points. I expect some reaction from it, be it positive or negative (mainly positive, I hope!).

[lehsreh]

[COLOR=Red]i think self modifier said it best. i do it to tell stories i wanted told as a kid. thats why i dont use characters more use. i simply want to tell the story of so and so that didnt get told.

this leads to a thing hammerfel mentioned. the cartoons were my first, and foremost influence. this being the case, duke and scalett were the thing in my world, though i hated them both. the comics, which i didnt get until a few years ago portrayed scarlett and snakes together. he said some didnt like the scarlett kamakura, this being the case no one will like what im going to do with snakes, duke and scarlett. but it is my story and i tell what i want, otherwise i wouldnt even use these 3.

in the end i do my dios the way i want. for example quick kick is the hero. zaran (or zandar in my first dio) beats snake eyes. its the way i wanted things as a kid. but even though i do them all for myself, if not for this site, and knowing at least some read them, i wouldnt have a reason to do a dio at all. this site is the only reason i now own a digi camera.

thanx hammerfel for creating this site. ive wanted to say it before, but hadnt saw you on much in the last year or so. im sure like myself, youve given many joe fans a way to express their love for the best damn toy ever. although my g/f probably holds it against you as she is laying in a cold bed by herself right now as i type this at 8am.
[/COLOR]

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=snakeeater]While feedback is important I can't worry too much about it, because if it isn't fun for me to do it, there's no point in doing it.[/QUOTE]

That says it all.... :)