Rarely has there been a program on television as innovative and creative as Lost. As a writer, it was a smorgasbord of inspiration that captivated me each and every week. Still, it’s hard to believe that a show where an island is the main character; where polar bears, smoke monsters, and a whole host of dead folks, all exist alongside a group of chosen castaways, wasn’t laughed off the air after one episode. But the key to Lost’s success wasn’t the oddities that garnered most of the attention; its success was due in large part to a staff of talented writers, who took all of those wild ideas and turned them into an adventure that lasted for 6 seasons.
Here is the opening scene of the series premiere of Lost on September 22, 2004: A close up of a fluttering eyelid. The lid pops open suddenly as the camera pans out and you see a man dressed in a suit and tie, lying in the middle of some kind of jungle. He’s panicked and looks around, suddenly a white dog comes out of the brush and runs past him —weird huh? He gets up with some discomfort, because he’s wounded; but how and why, we don’t know. He starts running, the only sounds you here are his footsteps and his labored breathing. The man winds up on a pristine beach surrounded by complete and utter silence —is he the only person there? Well no. Slowly, the sound of a woman’s scream begins to grow in volume. The man in the suit runs toward the screaming, and comes upon the carnage of a plane wreck. He walks through it, trying to make sense of it all. Something in him awakens and he begins helping the injured passengers. When he sees a pregnant woman in need of help, he asks another survivor to watch her while he goes to help others. This second survivor asks, “Hey, what’s your name?” The man turns and says, “Jack!” And with that, Lost begins.
This was an elaborate show; where the episodes connected one to the next, and previous seasons could come back into play in later ones. It was the type of show you could not watch sporadically, or join midway through. Lost was an investment —an all or nothing venture that required a commitment to the very end. It takes spectacular writing to keep audiences coming back week after week to a show that revealed its mysteries in puzzle pieces, where the whole image wasn’t shown until the final episode of the final season. Because of the care the writers took in developing this world and the people who inhabited it, Lost is a series that is destined to stand the test of time, when other programs will be tossed on the ash heap with thousands of other forgettable shows.
As a writer, I often come back to Lost when my creative juices have taken a vacation. I study it, hoping to understand what makes it so fascinating, so that I too can craft stories that grab hold of you and never let go.
Lost is a living lesson on how to tell a story to an audience without ever talking down to them, or taking them for granted. The creators never took shortcuts, or assumed we wouldn’t get the gist of the narrative they wanted to tell. They jumped in head first, left it all out there, and gave it everything; so that when all was said and done, they had no regrets —and neither did we.
Lost is a writer’s workshop for all of us who want to do this thing for a living. It’s a Master’s course in what can happen when you don’t hamper creativity, but allow it to flourish freely in any direction, just to see what happens.
~This is the initial installment of what I hope to be a monthly look at the art of creative writing from all kinds of mediums: Books, music, movies, television, and anything else I can think of. If you have any ideas please feel free to offer them in the comments below. I hope you find it helpful as well as entertaining ~AN
Alice, I love that you go back to Lost as a writing workshop. I am also a huge Lost fan, and I strive in my writing to come up with something as creative, complex and universal in theme as Lost. I often go back to some of the most powerful storylines for inspiration on structure and review how the writers reveal clues over time that result in that ah-ha moment for the viewer.
I have been desperate to find the next Lost. I have enjoyed Fringe, a Supernatural, and Arrow, but none have the same novel for television feel Lost maintained for their entire run. I’d love to hear what you have found to replace Lost.
I am looking forward to reading your exploration of creativity across all artistic mediums.
Erik, thank you my friend. Funny you mention Fringe, which is also a program form J.J Abrams, because that’s the show I’m thinking of tackling next. It is amazing for a whole host of reasons other than the ones I mentioned for Lost. Right now I’m watching Person of Interest (I do have an affinity for Mr. Abrams), and The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, are all shows that suck you into the story of the characters. Let me know some shows that you love.
Would you be interested in a Fringe write up next? I’d be curious to hear what you think. And thanks again for your kind words.
Alice, I would love to hear your thoughts on Fringe next. I am a huge in JJ Abrams fan too. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Fringe, but sometime in season 4 I think the writers diverged from their original plan. It seemed to me that the writers lost confidence in the storyline they originally constructed and lost touch with the entire set up they had artfully constructed in the first 3 and a half seasons.
I have not watched People of Interest but it is in my Netflix queue. Lately I’ve been sidetracked with Supernatural (who knew there were 10 seasons) and although the subject matter is not for everyone I think the character development in this series is genius – extremely realistic, logical evolution for all the primary character, and no one is 100% good or without faults. In some ways, the relationships between the characters are as engaging as the plot lines. I keep going back to some of the earlier episodes when I am struggling with character development in my own writing.
I’ve really been into the modern day superhero shows like Arrow and The Flash. The influence that Lost has had on episodic programs like these is obvious such as the flashbacks and minor introductions of characters that eventually play a significant role in the plot. These modern takes on superheroes have impressed me as most of the main character’s feats and skills are sheer fantasy (as you would expect from a superhero) but they reveal true human emotions, show their shortcomings all within sense of realism that were never a part of the campy superheroes of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
I’ve started Breaking Bad but due to the violence it is something my wife is not interested in watching, so when I sometimes travel for work those nights are all about Netflix
I’m truly looking forward to your next article.
A number of my friends and family wouldn’t miss an episode of Lost. I didn’t think it would be my kind of show…but guess what? I’m rethinking thanks to you! Good luck on this new promising endeavor. June
Give it a shot June, I do hope you love it. Netflix is streaming the entire series. Please let me know what you think about it.
It was interesting to read such a positive take on Lost, because I myself felt infuriated by the end of the series. Because I felt the story was so winding, I suppose I accidentally bathed the positive aspects of the show in a negative light as well. But your post makes me want to go back to it and give its creativity a second chance!
Sohini, pleas give it another chance. It is a character study, that is the key. Avoid the tendency of getting lost (no pun intended) in the strange things that happen on the island, and focus on the people the island drew to it. Most of the complaints I heard is that Lost didn’t answer any of the mysteries it presented. It did answer them, just not in the way some expected or hoped for. But then you miss out on what Lost was really about -the people. If you do see it again, please let me know what you think the second time around.
I’ll keep that in mind!! I absolutely agree when you say that watching Lost requires commitment until the very end; my parents and I, despite our mixed feelings about the series, have all the seasons on DVD. Go figure. So I’ll definitely start the journey again and pay attention to the characters this time, as you say. Let’s see what happens!
Cool Sohini,
Please let me know what you think the second go round!!
Reblogged this on Bob Moulesong — Author & Writer and commented:
The following is a great post by fellow SFB writer Alice Nelson. Today’s topic; how to keep the creative juices flowing. Enjoy.
Thank you Bob for the Reblog!!
Reblogged this on Derek Ailes Zombies and Other Horror.
Thank you Derek for the Re-blog!