Why make up stories for your dolls?, it's just a doll, right?

In mi case, I have been writing since I was 11 years old, and I keep writing a little almost everyday.
I started in the BJD hobby because I wanted to give a real body to a certain character that is the main protagonist of my short novels. While choosing a sculpt and finding her real self I changed a lot of things about her, so she ended up being someone totally new. The rest of my dolls were given stories too.

I am not really good at drawing nor taking photos and making photo-stories, but I love writing about them, about the things they would do, the things they like, the way they would act or what they would say to one another or to me. Is another way of creativity, another way of enjoying this dolls.
And I also think having a good background and personality helps me bonding with the doll.

 

Like others have said before, I had a story before I got the doll, otherwise I wouldn't be interested. It's a matter of creativity; if a doll inspires you to write a story, then all the better. My stories just inspired me to get dolls.

 

For me my doll is more than just a doll. I have a character that I've played in Dungeons and Dragons for a few years and a bjd was the only way to bring him to life.

 

Why have dolls w/no stories? is just as valid a question.
I have had other dolls, but not many. I got my girls various dolls & had dolls as a child - I got into costuming dolls early - but I'd never made stories up about them. Before BJDs, I had maybe 5 dolls - mostly w/sentimental value (my baby doll from childhood, my MOM'S babydoll, my grandma's porcelain doll that she wanted me to have after she passed, my Voudun priestess doll which is a whole long story in & of itself LOL).
Now, I am a writer, always making up stories to tell. Also I'm an anime/SF nut. I have several little anime figures (again, not many). So when I saw BJDs my 1st reaction was, OH big realistic poseable dolls that look like my fav anime characters - that I could make decent cosplay for! Then I found photo stories, which clicked w/my own stories and all of a sudden I wanted ALL the dolls NOW to create a cast for my own photo stories.
So basically I'd NEVER have gotten more than 5 dolls of different sizes if I didn't make stories for them. It is sooo cool to be able to flesh out some of my own characters this way I've got over 40 dolls BTW. At some point, once I've done a bunch of the photo-stories I want done, I may reduce the hoard to under 10.

 

For me its make them more real, come to life in a why. gives a background, a reason they dress a certain way. things like that, it just bring something more, a life a a doll.

 

Well, I've just ordered my first doll and I don't have a story/character in mind. But seeing everyone else's stories makes me want to create stories for my own.
I've never really been into making OC's or anything like that because I'm not the most artistic person out there, so I'm hoping this hobby will give me the chance to be more creative. (:

 

I love to write, i always have.
The dolls give me inspiration.
A way to bring the story more to life.
The dolls & very good music, for me that is a perfect combo!

 

Because all my dolls are shells of characters and if that's not true then I really cannot connect with them? I've honestly tried, I have but when a doll just doesn't fit in the story I've found that I can't bond and not bonding with a doll just makes me miserable. It's like pushing against a brick wall... Without a character I wouldn't know what to dress these guys or what to do with them. Or how to photograph them... how to sew clothes for them.. nothing.

 

I think having a story is just a part of the dolls being more alive or the owners breathing life to the dolls. Having to be able to customize dolls to your liking gets a lot of the owners here get their creative juices flowing be it by story, customization or clothes. I think this probably why the BJD community is thriving as it is since a lot of the owners are bonding with their dolls on a personal level and making each doll unique and come alive with their stories.

 

Like most here, I wrote stories first. Dolls for me are my means of "publishing" them, if only in the form of one or two characters. Because I rarely finish a work, and often times I write with a partner and we abandon projects, it's my way of having a piece of that idea that represents my inspiration. It gives me a direction for doll design. If I didn't know what I wanted to represent, I probably wouldn't do anything with them. Or they'd just get clothes I thought were cute, but nothing would really come together. It's more satisfying to me to complete an idea.

The only one I have who doesn't come with a story is Tuesday, who was supposed to be in a story but I realized it was too lame to even indulge in, so I just kept the "scene-kei" look I had planned for the original. I actually think I might change his look because no deep concept went into his design. I love this doll, it's no issue with "bonding," but I'm not as happy with him as I feel I should be... for as large as his wardrobe is, especially compared to others who have no clothes of their own. Y'know?

 

I hear a lot about stories. I don't personally have one, and I haven't seen anyone else's. I'm actually wondering where all these stories are?? People talk about having stories evetywhere but I never see them!

 

@SunshineGirl, I post some snipets over at hellgatebjd.tumblr.com it might seem a little bad since I haven't updated it in a while but it's largely due to a ridiculously hectic summer job I landed last year as well as spending the best half of the year without a pc. I have three stories that I'm working on for it at the moment however so those will get posted at timely intervals over the summer.

A lot of people also like to share little storylets with their pictures and I've found a few tumblr users who share stories of theirs in a more formal format as well. I recall once finding some people that even went as far as to publish books on their doll stories. I definitely hope that I can one day do the same with the main body of my own.

 

Oh ok! Thanks!

 

Well, why not create stories for the dolls? It's nothing wrong with doing so.

This is a individual question for each person. I myself create my characters, i write their stories and personalities i also do drawings of them. I share it with others in the hobby and i have always since i was a little girl loved to create different personalities, stories and enjoy drawing. My sister on the other hand dont have a story for her doll, she just named her Harmony and she is fine by that. So an individual question for each person, who have their own thoughts about this!

 

The story came before, the doll, but I was having trouble getting it down on paper without having something physical to look at. Books tend to include interpersonal interactions more than pages and pages of character description, but without a doll or drawing, its hard for me to keep all the facets of a character that I want to tie into the story straight. A drawing or spreadsheet would also probably do, but a spreadsheet is too inorganic and restricted to work for me, and I'm terrible at drawing/2D things (much better at anything 3D). I don't know if I'll every show anyone my story, but, for my own sanity, it's nice to have the narrative order resulting from physical representation (I'm not subconsciously-pressured to include too much description).

 

My dolls don't really have a story when I buy them. As I buy more outfits, wigs, and eyes for them, a personality that I never planned slowly develops. Eventually a little back-story creeps into my mind. The faint pulse of creativity strengthens when it's medicated with inspiration. And then BAM! My husband was irritated with me and left to go spend the night at his mother's house. I sat alone on the balcony with a half empty glass of gin and tonic, wondering if my husband was going to make his mother hate me even more by the end of the night. I crushed the cherry end of my cigarette into the lid of an empty coke can and glanced through the window at my glorious collection of BJDs that were displayed inside the house. They seemed to be beckoning me to play with them. They were radiating beauty to which I had painstakingly contributed. Each thread, each fiber on their bodies was loving placed there. But who were they? An empty plastic vessel to be decorated with frilly, shiny and thorny things? Were they simply miniature mannequins that looked pretty and nothing else? NO, THEY CERTAINLY WERE NOT! [I might have been drunk by that point, so I'm pretty sure I yelled that out loud]. They were creations of a sculptor from a far away land! Sent across the seas to me. Customized with utmost care by me. And so, that night, I wrote and wrote. Stories erupted from my liquor-hazed mind of my dear dolls. Each of them have a life all their own that had previously only existed in my mind. Now each life story is majestically manifested on hello kitty strawberry-scented paper. x3

 

It's this other way around for me. I create characters and then, when a character feels very special and dear to my heart, I want to shell it in doll form. Otherwise I think I'll just have a lot of troubles bonding with them, and it is important for me since all of the dolls I have so far are very special to me. A doll that I just find gorgeous, and that is "just a doll" because it doesn't have a character just doesn't interest me, and I won't spend hundreds of euros over a doll that is "just" pretty, I just don't work like that.
Of course, all of this is very personal. Your dolls don't HAVE to have a story or a character for your dolls to be interesting, it really depends on what you do with dolls, why you have them, what you love about them.

 

I like to create characters for all my dolls of all different types and brands. It makes them feel more real! With my BJD, as soon as I saw the Celine sculpt her story started to unwind in my head. I'm currently in the very beginning stages of creating her character, since I love to spend a lot of time creating dynamic and interesting characters. BJDs are great for being physical forms of what you envision, as they can be completely created by you and can be both hugely realistic and hugely fantasy. The character you picture in your head when you are writing doesn't have to have to be just mental with these dolls! It's almost like you're making a movie of your stories, but you're in charge of the entire thing.

 

I just name them and I suppose I don't treat them as if they were living in a world seperate from my own so I don't need to give them stories. I love hearing other people's stories for their dolls though! They are interesting

 

As soon as see those stock photos, all done up, and the cute little story blurbs they sometimes have, My brain starts whirring! >w<