DCML digest #559

[Don Rosa]

From: "Rob Klein" <bi442 at lafn.org>
>>>>I also agree with Soeren Krarup Oleson, that Don Rosa's "best" (at
least my
favourite of his) stories are those which are not slavishly tied to the
information Barks provided in previous stories.
>>>Naturally, having
to tie a plot around the connecting of events to the linking of the details
of previous events would result in the use of less originality than
inventing all new details and tying a completely new plot around these new
details.

I don't ever disagree with someone who dislikes my stories or dislikes my
"Lo$" stories... but I always must make sure that they don't step beyond
their own preferences and cross into a description of my labor. I raise my
eyebrow at the term "less originality". As I've often pointed out, it takes
far more work and creativity, and more original thought and planning for me
to create a sequel to a Barks story or a historically detailed adventure
than if I simply did a "gag" story with no references to past stories or
actual events. I don't mean it's twice as complicated, it's about five or
TEN times more difficult to do those stories. I could get at least 2 or 3
times more work done if I stuck to the short "gag" stories -- that means 2
or 3 times mor PAY with 1/2 to 1/3 as much work. But the job would be
boring to me, and I'm not interested. I just wanted to let you know that my
Barks sequels require me to be *much* more creative and original than a
story of Donald having another tiff with Neighbor Jones. I don't mind if
not everyone likes those stories... I know it's impossible to please
everyone... but don't suggest that they are not more difficult to produce
(which "the use of less originality" seems to imply, and if I'm wrong,
sorry).
By the way, I didn't get into the matter when it first came up, but I was
also very puzzled when someone said they liked my "Beagle Boys vs. the
Money Bin" because there were *not* lots of Barks references. Cripes, there
were scads of them! I'm tempted to go count all of the large and small
references to old Barksian facts and adventures... I think I'd come up with
50 or 75 easily.