The ODI

Hey All,

Well much to my surprise I recd. a message today with our first set of answers of to your questions about LOST...!!

You can STILL ask some questions....either email me or leave them on MySpace or post comment at original post here:

Q&A with a LOST Writer

OR

Post Questions in Exclusive LOST on ABC Q&A MySpace Thread

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