Lynnette Porter collaborated with David Lavery and wrote Unlocking the Meaning of Lost: An Unauthorized Guide.



Is Lost the best show ever, or what?

Lost is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. I couldn't watch most episodes over and over, but I always find something new in Lost or enjoy seeing a favorite scene again. Lost has all the elements I look for in a great show: interesting characters, changing relationships, and a tricky plot.


I have to care about the characters and what happens to them; for me, the interrelationships among characters and character growth are the main reasons to keep watching any show. Lost gives me lots of great characters, good and not so good.

My tastes in television are eclectic, and I don't have as much time to watch as I want. I sample lots of new television shows at the beginning of a season.

What other shows do you enjoy?

I'm also a fan of 24, and Lost and 24 are the two series that I make a point to watch each week. But I also like SF, and in the past I've been a Star Trek fan. Currently I like the new series of Doctor Who. When there's hockey on TV, I usually watch; however, my favorite teams, the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, are long out of the Cup race now. During a week, I may watch quite a variety, time permitting, from standard network fare like Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and Monk, to Travel Channel programs (especially those about Australia or New Zealand), to E! News and Entertainment Tonight, to Larry King Live.

I peripherally keep up with lots of television, but seldom do I enjoy a series as much as I do Lost.

When did you know you were hooked on Lost?

About five minutes into the pilot episode! I'd followed the buzz about Lost since March 2004, so I was primed for the show's premiere. I immediately wanted more!

The series' debut took place on my first night at a popular culture conference in New Orleans. I refused to go out with my friends until after the episode was over, and when I joined them, they must've thought I was a little bit mental, because I just had to tell them about Lost. Since then, several colleagues have become fans of the series, but they aren't nearly as enthralled as I am.

What inspired you to write Unlocking the Meaning of Lost: An Unauthorized Guide?

When I first read online about the polar bear, about a day after it was spotted being filmed on Oahu, I figured that Lost either would be innovative, and worth writing about, or absolutely terrible. I was relieved when ABC picked up the pilot and ecstatic after I watched the pilot episode. From that point, I took notes during every episode and watched each episode several times. I wasn't sure of the form that the book would take, but I knew there was so much to discuss in print.

Tell us a little about the process of writing and researching Unlocking the Meaning of Lost: An Unauthorized Guide.

My co-author, David Lavery, is a fantastic collaborator; Hillary Robson created and takes care of our website, unlockinglost.com, and contributed to the book. We each have our areas of specialization and bring different strengths to writing and editing. Lost has so many layers, and has become such a fan phenomenon, that it definitely helps to have a few people working together. Among the three of us, we usually read or hear the latest rumors and news and pass them along. We also browse many, many websites to keep up with what's happening in the Lostverse, and, of course, we watch the episodes many times and discuss them. We genuinely enjoy the series, and although writing a book is a lot of work, Lost is a topic we all love to discuss and write about.

I can't speak for David or Hillary here, but my process is this: I watch each new episode (and everyone knows to leave me alone during Lost!). I jot notes about people, places, or events--I like the fun "trivia" parts as well as the larger themes and plot developments. After a new episode, I get online and chat with friends about what we saw or I read fan sites. I add my comments to my notes or new chapters. Within 24 hours, I've surfed the web to see what fans are saying about the episode, and I watch the show at least one more time. Then I add to existing chapters or write more new material that becomes part of a chapter.

Unlocking the Meaning of Lost: An Unauthorized Guide