LOST

I'll admit it. I (along with thousands and thousands of other people) am a LOST fanatic. The last couple of weeks have been torture for me, because the network was showing reruns. Last night, the newest episode. I'm on pins and needles watching it, because the build-up has been that someone--a main character--is going away, never to return. As I'm watching, I'm saying, Man, that Shannon is such a whiney, self-centered, spoiled crybaby. The only thing she's done is translate some French and give Sayid a chance to get laid. Please, let it be her.

I admire the writing and plot twists of the show. I am on the edge of my seat the entire hour. (Well, not during commercials, but you know what I mean.) As the former lives of those stranded on the island are revealed, you see how their lives have criss-crossed each other's, even for the briefest of moments. As a writer, you can learn a lot about scene creation by paying attention to clever shows and movies.

(Off on a tangent, sort of. I watched Sin City with a friend a few days ago. The movie was dark and clearly written from a man's point of view. I mean, all the women were either prostitutes or pole dancers, except for one barmaid. Even a nurse that showed up later was really a prostitute on loan. Sheesh. But... the writing was excellent. There were some really great lines. One that particularly stands out for me, as a romance writer, was "She smelled like angels ought to smell." (Or something like that. It's been a few days.) But, here the writers pulled in the sense of smell to help create the scene.)

In LOST, you clearly see the characters' motivations--and sometimes, for the more secretive people, not so clearly. (Like many, many other women, I'm rooting for bad-boy Sawyer. Woo-doggie!)

And the end of the show last night? Well, after a few scary moments where Sawyer was concerned, the character that bit the dust was (drum roll here for those of you who didn't see the show)... Shannon. Killed by the beeyatch Anna.

Next week promises to be even more exciting. Stay tuned.