The ODI: Q&A with LOST Writer

[keithf]

The ODI posted up a Q&A with a LOST writer, and it does get quite in depth... Here is a link to the site:
the-odi.blogspot.com/2008/01/q-with-lost-writer-answers-part-1.html
Here is a link to where you can submit questions to another round of Q&A with a LOST writer:
the-odi.blogspot.com/2008/01/exclusive-q-with-lost-writer.html

SPOILER: Click to show

Thanks for participating. Enjoy and Namaste.

NOTE: There are some MINOR SPOILERS but I will still use Invisio for those that hate spoilers. If you think I missed a spoiler I apologize in advance and please let me know and I can fix it. If something seems like it is missing then highlight that area.

This is just the first part and we will have more soon...!!

Answers Part 1:

1.The four-toed statue Questions

Is the four toed statue related to an ancient culture on the island?

The four-toed statue made our heads spinning. We know somehow that it is connected to the island's past history and that it was there before the Dharma people arrived on the island. Do you have any idea of its purpose?

The origin of the statue will be discussed in season 4 and many people will figure out what it means and how it got there

2.Skeletons/Bag of Rocks questions

"How do the skeletons found in the cave, with the bag of rocks, play into the story?" ie- red herring or something else

Is there a significance to the black and white stones Jack pocketed in season 1?

There is actually is another meaning to this question (besides what DL and CC already said in a In an EW.com article)

One light and one dark which in retrospect is what the show about

3. My question: Jack is very obsessed with finding out who Sara's boyfriend is in the first episode of season 3. Jack is then very obsessed with the person who dies in the flash forward in the last episode of season 3. Is Sara's boyfriend from the first episode of season 3 the person that dies in the last episode of Season 3?

No, jack is a man that wont let things go, if you go back and watch the episode "A Tale of Two Cities" you clearly understand that why Christian began telling him "let it go"

4. During Season 1, when Claire is about to sign away her parental rights on her unborn baby, she asks the adoptive parents to sing the baby a song (Catch a falling star, I think). She chooses this song because her father sang it to her when she was little. But then, in season 3, it is revealed that Christian in Claire's father. So was it Christian who sang to her? I was under the impression that he never knew Claire. And for her to remember that her father sang her that song, she would have to at least be 2 or 3. Was there a stepfather?

Yes in th episode Par Avion CHRISTIAN states that he went over and sang to her and gave her gifts


6. Oh this is great! I have had a burning question on my mind since season 1!

Is there any more to Danielle Rousseau's story? Is she exactly who she says she is?

Thanks!

Yes there alot more to Rousseau and some stuff she states may not actually be true but in the upcoming seasonwe will drop hints on what shes been up to on the island before and after the crash in a flashback or two

7.Also, why was Sayid digging holes in season 3? LOL!

After that episode aired we got many ideas on how to explain that scene and you will see that come into play in the upcoming season


8.In the Season 2 finale we saw 2 guys operating in an arctic monitoring station.

What were you told about this location/scene when you came to write about it. Were you given any background to it's history and location?

Little info was given to the writing team about that scene Originally planned as 2 Russian actors in the script and a Listening Station in a place resembling Siberia but I know one writer even went back to read about the cold war to find info on the scene location hope that answers you're question

9.Thanks for considering my question.

How do the writers keep track of the various elements of story continuity? Is there a compiled book or electronic document that keeps track of the many details about each character, location, etc.? Are fan-created sites like Lostpedia ever used as a reference source during writing?

We tend to keep track of the story as we could, first if I'm writing episode 4 and say DL is writing episode 3 we stay in contact or brainstorm in a meeting to keep story lines in the right order also help to have a executive story/script editor

10.Did Desmond do a time-travel in the episode "Flashes before your eyes"?
Or was it only a dream..vision?

Desmond did really travel back in time

And...

11.Was Ben really talking to Jacob in "The Man behind the curtain"? Is he able to hear him? Or only John can?

In that end scene only John could hear him


12.How long does it take to write an episode?

Depends on the story or for that matter the episode flashback (in other words 13 to 20 days)

13.It seems like the whispers have become less and less relevant as the show has gone on. I really miss them and the eerie feeling I'd get after trying to dissect its meaning. As writers, do you actually write what's said in the whispers, or is it more of a directorial nuance? And will we be hearing them again soon?

We will hear them again but in the Season Finale there were 3 in the scene where Locke was gonna kill himself.

These are not random noises, but actual dialog


14.What is it like to write for a morally ambiguous character like Ben?

Great, Michael Emerson is without a doubt one of the best actors today to write something for him is a honor

15.When you sit down to write an episode, do you write in pieces/scenes, or do you write all the flashbacks at once and the island parts at once? Or does it all just come out at once?

For me its THE flashback first then the moral of the story/person (whats happen on the island)

16.Why did the Others take Emma and Zack for good, but give back Walt?

Thats something we didn't have time to explain in season 2 but wanted to mention in early Season 4

17. Was Cindy a plant on the plane, or did she just join the Others after they crashed?

You will get a answer on that in season 4 thats all I'm saying

18.Will there be an Official Podcast for season 4? I'm worried the writer's strike will make it so that they can't do one.

You will hear the sexy voices of Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse again

19.Is it hard to keep the show a secret? Do you sometimes want to go home and tell everyone on the way stuff like "IT'S A FLASHFORWARD!!!!!!!" or does leaking little stuff to sites like this help curb that need?

It is I remember I ruined a episode for a friend by saying Yeah to bad he gets killed by the Monster in Episode 4....and now to this day he wont talk to me about the show

20.I would like you to talk a little bit about what Orange means to you as a writer

Orange means to me either peace or sin depending on what it is on

THATS IT FOR NOW, I WILL ANSWER MORE IN THE COMING DAYS

[keithf]

If you read through these, you might have an 'inside edge' on Jack's season 4 contest also.... ....

[jacksloststepkid]

regarding question #2 -

SPOILER: Click to show

what D&C said, among other things in that interview is that the secret of who Adam and Eve are is hinted at in an easter egg in the the Juliet Flashback episode, where she goes to the island the first time. They actually say the easter egg is an anagram. The main anagram in the show is the place Juliet's sister drops her off, the airline's name is an anagram from "amelia earhart". Tie this to what is starting to come out in the find815.com site, and I'd say there is avery high chance Adam and Eve = Earhart and her Naivgator, who were lost in 1937 at sea. Sounds like the whole white and black stones thing may add more depth to their story though...

By the way, a number of people here on the boards have been theorizing that this was the case for a long while...

[bruce]

To add Fuel to your fire

SPOILER: Click to show

Interesting coincidence

A-dam
E-ve

A-melia
E-arhart


I just looked up the navigator who was LOST with Amelia and his name is Fred Noonan, he was a pilot with Pan Am. The date they disappeared was July 24, 1937 (Amelia turned 40 earlier that month).


In episode 106 when Adam and Eve are discovered, Jack says that it would have taken 40 or 50 years for the clothing to degrade on the skeltons, which would mean they were there prior to 1964. Thus the timeline would support Amelia and Fred.

[keithf]

Part two is up:

the-odi.blogspot.com/2008/01/q-with-lost-writer-answers-part-2.html

SPOILER: Click to show

21.Why is Hugo's nickname "Hurley"?

In his next flashback you'll get a clue why and who started calling him "Hurley"

22.How big was the Medusa spider that bit Christian Shepard?

Who said he was bitten by a spider?? He was reported to have died of a heart-failure or was he??

23.How long after the crash did it take for him to wake up and get out of his coffin?

If you want a answer if he is dead or alive then wait until later in Season 4 when it will be answered

24.Dear [writer],

I love writing, especially fiction. LOST is part of the reason that I still actively pursue a career in writing. Do you have any tips, suggestions, or advice for an aspiring writer?

Be determined, follow your heart, take your time in writing a story and have friends read a draft to get their reviews on the story

Once you decide you're ready to begin submitting to publishers or producers and If your story comes back with a rejection note, then don't take it personally. Some people are not that welcoming to new writers who don't have a background in books/movies/TV.

So don"t give up.

25. Do you personally know how Lost will end? You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, but it would be interesting to know if there is a set ending in place as of now.

Only some people really know how it will all end, sadly I'm not one of them (yet)

26. That is the best question. you can have a Dharma brand animal cracker. would you like a shark, dolphin, rabbit, or polar bear?

Ummmm Dolphin

27. I've got one. Are there any specific references within any of the scripts so far that might help us to understand the nature/origin of the whispers? In other words, when they happen on screen, how are they explained in the scripts?

28.I have been wondering what the whispers have to do with the Others and if all of the whispers we've heard throughout the series all come from the same place?

In other words, it wasn't at one time someone in the jungle just spying..and then another time it was the smoke monster?

The whispers are written as dialog, for example in the script it will say Male Voice in the distance saying - "108" but there are no origin details yet. We most likely will answer that later on

29.When is Eko coming back? THANKS

We wanted to bring Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje back to explain a storyline but due to his busy schedule it is unlikely he will return this season, but never say never in the LOST

30. Thank you so much this opportunity and for LOST!

How much of the series is "filler" versus that which is vital to the "who, what, where, when, how, and why" of the storyline?

About 1/3

31. Aside from the Orange Dharma logo, can you give some specific examples of "shout-outs" to the fans that occurred?

And while I'm on the subject of fan "shout-outs" ....Is there any chance you could incorporate a fuzzy purple hat appearance or get one of the main characters to exclaim "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"?

Thanks again!

Tons of shout outs to fans (especially theories) are seen in episodes from Hurley thinking the monster is a dinosaur to Juliet saying the runway is for The "Aliens"

As for the hat I can only see Charlie pulling that off and we know where he is

32.At any point during the first three seasons did you consider doing a flashback from Vincent's perspective?

No, we always joke about that but never have planned as a episode

33. Has the Smoke Monster ever appeared as Vincent?

I can't answer that but many of us call him "the dog of doom"

34.Why(or)is Ben's map different than Rousseau's map?

Its slightly different. Rousseau drew everything by memory while Ben had knowledge of the island

35.Have we seen the Crater and if so in what season/episode?

Not yet but it is seen in one of the maps

36.Where is true North as seen from a person on the beach (camp)?

Watch the episode "Hearts and Minds"


37.Were any of the Losties parents involved with the Dharma Initiative?

Good Question. There is no doubt that some of the parents are in some way connected with Dharma.

38.I have always wondered if there was any more significance to the mural on the hatch wall? Did we miss anything, besides the fact that someone in the hatch was going bananas?

The painting was done by Desmond, everything that is on the wall is something Desmond experienced or saw

39. Was the hatch mural intentionally painted to resemble (almost perfectly) the paintings in Claire's boyfriend's studio? If so, is this just a red herring or does this provide a clue?

The mural was painted by LOST producer and director Jack Bender, so in the LOST world who knows....umm maybe Thomas was famous after leaving Claire and Desmond was some how a fan or maybe they both just have the same style

40. Is one of the show's writers missing a toe?

**No Answer**

41.Question: In hindsight, do you feel any regret about having killed off some of the survivors/characters earlier on in Seasons 1 and 2? Namely Boone, Shannon, Ana-Lucia, Ethan and Goodwin. What are some of those regrets (if any)?

Boone & Shannon. I think they had many unanswered questions, but we knew that Boone was going to die earlier in the season and then Shannon as well (before we started Season 2 I think we said she was a goner). Due to lack of timing on the story arcs we couldn't say much on their past

42.If Damon and Carlton walked into the writers room and said "Ok guys, it's time to kill another character off." Who would you chose, and why?

I just can't kill another character....but if I had to and just for fun I would say Hurley or Sawyer just to see how the fans will react to some thing like that

--I say the fans would go crazy--

43.My question is, if any of the scenarios we see on the show came from your or any other writers life. I mean i don't think any of you guys were on an island and chased by a smoke monster....but the flashbacks...

Great Question! When writing stuff like a flashback, yes. I think we all at some point experience what they been through from trying to fix a relationship to running away from your past. I think as a writer to write the bad stuff that happens to you in a story is more believable, then some stuff that many writers just come up with

44.Is there a significance to why each person dies at the time they do and the way in which they die?

Yes and no (for both question). Take Boone for example, if Boone didn't die, Locke would not have broken down on top of the Hatch. Which also gave Desmond hope or Eko who some what guided Locke to the Flame station

When a person dies on the island we always try and make the character make amends with their sins (so to speak)

45. will we ever see The Twins (from season 1) again?

46. were they important people??

The twins have nothing to do with the mythology of the show whatsoever. As for see them again, who knows they might pop in again

47. Having lived on the Island so long, dose Ben have the same kind of foresight that Desmond has ? (Might explain how hes always One step ahead of everyone)

No

48. How Important is the continuity in Lost, should we be paying attention to it ?

Yes considering it gonna get bigger

49.Are shoes important? In the first scene in the pilot episode when we first see Jack get up in the jungle he passes by a tree that has a shoe hanging from it.

No clear reason for it being there, LOL but it I guess just stuff from the wreckage.

50.Also, when Jin and Eko are in the jungle and the others pass by they aren't wearing any shoes. What is the significance of the shoe?

The Others wanted to make the castaways seem like they were "savages" However, in Season 2, this proved to be part of an elaborate illusion as Kate found out.

51. Another question: Is this mysterious island that the survivors are on actually located in the South Pacific?

Yes, they landed on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific

52.Awhile back we were told we'd get more of Libby's back story, but we had to wait for a new character to be introduced. My question is Naomi that character?

No, but you'll see Libby back in season 4

53. Is there a bona fide concrete reason behind the redundant names & aliases (like Annie, Jason, Sarah) for some characters?

Some names are just given to flashback/minor characters, other times it just a coincidence but then again coincidence is such a prevailing theme and may be an important clue to the mysteries of the story sometime down the road.

54. Is Cerberus Jacob's guard dog? ;']

For the people who don't know, it was revealed by the great Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof that Cerberus is another name for The Monster

As for what it is protecting?? You will see what it is when it appears again. Here is a clue: Go back and watch every scene when the monster appears

55. Why are the black & white stones on "Adam & Eve" also present on the Penny & Desmond's house? Are they the same stones or just looked like it?

They are not the same stones

56.Do you sometimes read fan theories / discussions & get freaked out because they hit so close home?

I have not read too many fan theories since Season 1. Some are more plausible than others, but some are clearly out there

57. We know that Desmond was the reason that Oceanic 815 broke apart and crashed. But will we ever learn what caused it to go 1000 miles off course in the first place?

The two incidents had to be a couple hours apart, and the pilot talked about the transponder going out before they ever turned back toward Fiji.

Unless it is explained in a flash forward it is unlikely that it will be explain in detail how they were 1000 miles off course

58. Is it hard to keep continuity in terms of characters? in other words, one writer writes one episode, and then a different writer is writing the next one - is it hard to keep consistent with what the other writers have done before?

We tend to talk to one another about the "turning point of a event or character, the writers before or after us tend to "brainstorm" to let the others know how and what will happen to the character in the future

59. Do you write the flashbacks as a result of the on-island plot, or the on-island plot as a result of the flashbacks?

This is really cool!!

For me, it is the flashback first then what is happening on the island and how the FB can tie into what is happening on the island

----------------------------------------

Season One

60.We have heard repeatedly that the Pilot episode contains some kind of "big clue" to the show... Any help here?

I personally have always thought it was the "godfather" orange scene with Locke...*cough*...

If you are talking about what DL said about the fans never figuring out a clue in the pilot he answered it already. It is the part where CHARLIE states "Guys. Where are we?"

61. Ohh, ohh, (raises hand) I've got one! In season 1, someone says, "The beach is eroding, all of this will be underwater in a few days."

My question is: Was this just an excuse to remove the plane wreckage from the film set, or is there a more plot-related reason? Thanks,

Yes, it was an excuse to move the plane wreckage due to it being hard from moving from one place to other for the crew

62. Was duplicate question.

63. Why did Ethan overreact so much and end up nearly killing Charlie, seemed a bit extreme for his reason!

From a deleted part in the script: After Claire escaped, Ethan attempted to take her back on orders from Mr. Friendly to kidnap Claire and kill any survivors who get in the way

64. Do you still have a plan for the black and white rocks found in "house of rising sun" with the Adam and Eve corpses?

There is a plan yes but the better question is when or if we will use it later in this season??

65. Hello, dear LOST writer, I was wondering if the "look-alikes" on the boat commandeered by Tom when some of the Others kidnapped Walt were twins, clones or doppelgangers?

They are twin stunt men hired by the casting crew

66.I was also wondering what Sawyer meant when he said to Kate, "I made this birthday wish 4 years ago."?

That is a question for Christian Taylor because I have no clue LOL

67.A question that has bugging me since the end of Season 1 is why the ladder was broken in the hatch. And who broke it?

Unknown at this point

Spoiler:

Desmond will speak on many things that happen to him after Kelvin died

End Spoiler

68. Here's a question that is not one of the BIG mysteries, but it's been bugging me for yearsss...

In "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues" (S1), Hurley makes a remark that "Back home, I'm known as something of a warrior myself."

Will we ever find out via a flashback, or any other way, what exactly Hurley meant ? At the time, some people thought perhaps he was a Sumo Warrior, or perhaps he plays Dungeons and Dragons or World of Warcraft (etc), and he's a powerful "warrior" in a game like that.

Not a HUGE mystery, but this line has never been resolved, and I think it would be cool to find out what he meant for sure !

Basically he said it to impress Walt (like Locke did in the episode)

69. Why did the Losties abandon the caves?

They abandoned once the hatch was opened but now we know that many of the minor characters on the show are going back to the caves for water since the Swan is now gone

70. In S1, E13 Locke and Boone are trying to open the hatch. Locke makes a statement about Michelangelo (or something like that...) and then Boone says, "We're not gonna stare at this thing for 4 months are we?" Was that an easter egg as to how long the Losties will be on the island?

No he was making a joke out of Locke comments about how Michelangelo created the statue of David.

[eggnog42]

thanks for posting the link. some interesting answers that i hadn't seen before.