I’ll admit it. I’m a Lost addict. Of the craziest kind. I’ve been counting down the days to today for months. I go nuts for message boards, dream up elaborate conspiracy theories, and hunt for obscure cultural references inside every episode to research while I watch. I’m pretty sure it drives my husband crazy.
But don’t stop reading if you’re not a Lost fan. Because whether or not you’ve ever watched a single episode of the show, you can learn something about writing a better blog by the way this game-changing TV show operates. (And if you don’t have time to read this entire post, skim the subeads and then actually read point five. And then leave me a comment about that point. I’m dying to talk to some people about this idea.)
1) Pull out all the stops on day one.
When Lost premiered, it was the most expensive pilot ever produced. It was crazy. Instead of waiting to build up to a grand finale, the producers pulled out all the stops on day one. They put everything into the first episode, because in TV, you never know what the future holds. And with a show like Lost, when it premiered, the idea was to go big or go home. They went big. And the rest is TV history.
If you’re starting a blog, this is an important lesson to learn. Don’t save your great posts for later on. Don’t save your big ideas to do once you have more readers. The way to get more readers is to have great ideas and build great relationships. And it’s easier to build new relationships if you lead with great ideas.
If you aren’t starting a new blog, don’t worry, there’s a lesson for you here, too, and here’s what it is: Today is Day One. It’s up to you to choose when and how you will put your best work out there. So if you’re not doing your big-budget worthy things already, start now.
2) Have the courage to tell new stories.
And start telling old stories in new ways. If Lost had stopped telling new stories in the first season, I wouldn’t be writing this post right now. Because I didn’t get into the show until I saw a random episode in the second season – and I got hooked.
I rented the whole series and watched the first season in one week. And then I watched again with my boyfriend once he finally caught on a few months later. The rate at which new stories were added and new mysteries unfolded was addictive and slightly infuriating. It was so much to take in.
But that’s what made it what it is. And then, it changed. At the end of season three, the the directors went from the storytelling style of flashbacks to flashforwards. It was a risk that shocked everyone. And the show has never been better or more loved.
So, what does that mean for your blog? Well, Lost is probably what I would call a niche show. Which helps it a lot to create a large, devoted following of fervent, addicted fans. People know what to expect with the show, and at the same time, every episode is a chance for their expectations to change. And for that reason people love it. No, they crave it.
When it comes to blogging, a niche can be really useful in creating a specific, devoted community of readers and participants. But there’s also a curse of blogging in a niche, and I will kindly refer to it as burn out. Some call it the lazysphere or an echo chamber. But what everyone is talking about is how hard it is to write about one niche while keeping it fresh and saying something new.
But Lost is great at this. It defined its own niche, and it still owns it. Heroes failed at trying to mimic it. Because the reason Lost is so great at its own niche is that it is constantly reinventing itself – as a niche, and as a show. It refuses to let itself stay the same, and that means it’s constantly relevant and almost never stale.
So, if you blog, take this lesson to heart: It’s your niche. It’s your blog. Make it new as often as you can. Be creative. Be inventive. Tell new stories. Change things up. Your readers will thank you for it. (And even if they don’t, you’ll have a lot more fun along the way).
3) Have guts. Kill off some main characters.
Lost is one show that has more guts than any other piece of TV that I’ve ever watched, and that’s because it does what most other shows don’t do: it has the guts to kill characters. Main characters. Characters people loved.How does this apply to your blog? For one, it’s important to have guts when you blog. Do things your audience doesn’t expect. Maybe do things that could piss them off. But another lesson is, don’t do things just to mix stuff up. Do it to make your blog better, just like Lost killed people to make the show better. Because when Ana Lucia and Libby got shot in the same scene (and no one believed they were dead but they really were) it proved to the audience that the creators weren’t going to apologize for their direction and that anyone, absolutely any character could be at risk. It made the stakes seem more real. And all eyes were glued to their sets. And the message boards got buzzing. And suddenly, there were all sorts of possibilities we never considered before.
So here is your blogging lesson: when you are wiling to take insane risks, your audience will forgive you, and though you might make some mistakes, you will become a better blogger.
And anyway, who wouldn’t want to write the kind of blog people have watch parties for?
4) Listen to your fans. Not too much. Don’t alienate them.
The fans of Lost are unabashedly rabid. They have crazy ideas and theories and insights. (Remember? I am one of these people.) And some are spot on and others are very wacky and out there. And the creators have done some really interesting things with red herrings and rabbits and creating hidden shout-outs to fans within the show. Heck, they even created a virtual reality online and TV-based game to give the fans something to interact with. But they also didn’t let fan feedback or disappointment or anger run them off track.
They have mastered the art of having a pulse on the fan base but having the confidence in their own story and own direction to keep it moving just the same. And they do all this without alienating their audience.
Your blog probably has fans. Your readers, your audience, are all there for a reason. And some of them want to share ideas with you. If you think about it, that’s quite an honor. So let them know you are listening. Have conversations. Use your community to improve your ideas/ Take in what will help you be better. And then, don’t worry about the rest.
5) Do the impossible. Write your endgame.
This is the absolute most difficult and awesome thing you can learn from Lost as a blogger. When Lost announced several years in advance they were going to end the show, you can’t imagine the crazy uproar that ensued if you didn’t witness it yourself. But this risky move did something beautiful to a show that was starting to get a little rusty around some corners: it gave it new life, new direction, and more importantly, more passion within the fans. So here’s what I want you to think about:
What would your blog be like if you had an endgame in mind?
What would be your grand finale? What would be the one thing you want your readers to remember? What would you want people to look back upon it and think? What posts would you want to write? What stories would you want to tell? What activities would you stop doing?
If you decided today you only had one year left to blog, how would that change what you’re doing right now?
Now, I’m dying to talk about this last point especially, so please join me in the comments section to talk about anything in this post, or how interesting blogs are because they’re different than books, which have one main point, and end. And how blogs are tough to keep up with writing. And whether or not your plan to blog for the rest of your life. Because if you think about it, your blog probably does have an end. And I’m sure you can come up with all kinds of other interesting ideas I hadn’t thought of. So let’s chat. I’m looking forward to it.
If you really liked this post, share it on Twitter (here I am if you want to find me there). Or Stumble it. Or send me an e-mail. Or leave me two comments! And if you want to talk Lost tomorrow, I’ll be hanging out at the Pop Candy forum tonight after the show and on my lunch break tomorrow. So maybe I’ll see you there?
Hi Tiffany,
This post is fascinating. So many people have told me about Lost and told me to catch up because I will love it. I was once a die-hard Harry Potter fan and knew pretty much everything about that series, read the fan sites, thought about all the red herrings, etc. So the first thing is you made me want to watch Lost, because I know I would love it.
The second thing is that your last point (#5) is not something I’ve ever thought before. It would never occur to me to stop writing, because I’ve always written about my life (to myself) and I’ve had an online journal in some form since I was in 8th grade. It’s hard for me to think about how I would end my blog because there’s no way I could stop blogging.
I also think one thing the writers of Lost got right was killing off main characters. Not sure if you’ve read the Twilight series or The Host (I read a ton of fiction) but the author, Stephenie Meyer, never ever kills anyone important. I love all her stories except for that part. I admire storytellers that have the guts to make people cry over fictional characters.
I don’t watch Lost, but I really enjoyed this post! Good tips!
Regarding the idea of planning your endgame, I’m not sure how well this would work for me (or many other bloggers) whose blog is still evolving in identity. Personally I’m still trying to figure out what exactly it’s about, but I’m doing that by starting each day as it is…
The endgame would force one to focus on what exactly do you want to leave with the world through this particular channel. That would be excellent to really focus one’s efforts and keep them on a path toward accomplishing a particular goal.
@ Monica – I have to go to Zumba class, but I will get back to you on this as soon as I get home! (And right before Lost comes on TV tonight).
But you should totally Netflix all of Lost. And if you are on Xbox Live, I think you can perhaps stream some full seasons there? Or there’s always Hulu.
Great post! I think this is one of your best. Just retweeted it. Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about “endgame” since I started my new job. The whole point of the company is to provide a great service, build a beautiful community and then be bought. This creates a fervor and excitement in start-ups that isn’t seen in the corporate world, and I think if there’s some way to maximize that in corporations, blogs, whatever, we’d be better off.
I mean, even thinking about the projects I have, each one leads to another thing which leads to another which leads to this ultimate goal. It has this domino effect and is much like a plot of a TV show that relies on what just happened to do the next thing. Corporate life isn’t like that. It’s more ongoing projects, which isn’t bad, but definitely saps energy… lots of good thinking here, thanks!
Number 5 is an interesting idea. I think I’d have more commitment to something with an end date. I find it’s easier to make time for something when you know it’s not forever.
With a finite time frame, there would be a need to fit it all in, so many it would entice you to post more. Like many bloggers I keep a “to-blog” file. But I still post so rarely. It’s like I’m hanging on to these ideas for some undetermined time, instead of throwing them out there.
Okay. I LOVE Lost! A couple things:
1. Fans – You’re dead on there. I love the way Damon and Carlton partake in the conversation. They listen, but they also trust in their own direction.
2. Endgame – If an end date was announced on a blog, the blog would have to be pretty darn good with something HUGE coming up; otherwise, I think people would leave. It could possibly work if your blog had some kind of unfolding story, but I don’t see it working for most of us. Unannounced, though, it might change your way of thinking about the blog – possibly for the better. You’re absolutely right that it was AWESOME for Lost – mostly because it had a really taken a turn for the worse.
One more thing: Do you read Watch With Kristin? If not, you totally should! I love her Lost posts and the comments.
By the way, I’ve trying to write a post on Lost for quite some time. I even drafted one which outlined each character’s different leadership style. Never can seem to get it right, though.
Congrats on writing one worth reading!
@ Monica – First, I am so happy to introduce this fantastic show to someone else! I am eternally grateful to the pals who wouldn’t stop bugging us to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
It’s hard for me to think about it too. I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. But blogging is different. It wasn’t always a part of my life. Will it always be? I don’t know. But it’s important to think about. One thing I have done is stop blogging at a particular site. And that was tough, soul-searching business. So it’s made me think differently about the whole idea of it. Does one blog serve the purpose of one topic? Or one person? It doesn’t seem that way, but people start and stop blogging all the time…
My thought is, how intentional are people about that? Something about deadlines, about finales, about endings, is what happens in between. And is that something missing from blogging – or my blog? If so, does it have to be?
Regarding killing off the characters, I have read Twilight, and that was one issue I had with it. I couldn’t take seriously such a violent plot without some real action.
@ Lauren – You are getting at the essence of my point. Maybe I should have also talked about how the writers purportedly wrote the last episode of Lost along with the end. At that time, they didn’t know how the show was going to play out, where it would lead. But they knew what the story was, and where they wanted to leave things.
I think maybe we need to do this with our blogs – because it makes us better writers and helps us focus, just like you say. But rarely do we think of it in these terms.
@ Rebecca – Thanks for the RT! Your example is exactly what I am talking about here. How do we harness the energy of an ending into things that have no end? I think we can, and maybe this is how.
@ BonnieAnn – I agree that one thing this would help with is frequency. Man, if I knew that my access to wordpress was going to be cut off in a year, I’d probably post every day! So why not adopt that sense of urgency with your blog? We don’t because we think of them as eternal. Well, maybe they are, and maybe they aren’t. We haven’t gotten to that part of history yet.
@ Angela – I think it’s really amazing how they manage the fan base. It gives such energy and authenticity to the show.
I think you’re right that the actual concept of executing an end game is not right for blogging.
But still, can a blogger tap into that type of energy and focus that having an endgame brings? I think so. It’s just about figuring out how that works for you.
Take the blog-to-book-deal concept so many people work around. Well, a blog is very much different than a book. So how about this: what if your blog was a book? If it had a finite number of pages and points? What are the things you would write about? This is where I’m going with the endgame idea.
And also, thank you so much for the RT and the kudos. This post has been in progress for a while, so I’m glad I finally finished it and posted – this is such a fun conversation!
Great advice (plus, I’m a Lost fan). I am actually working on making my PR blog better and I’ll definitely be taking this into consideration.
@ Rachel – Thanks! The best part about sharing ideas is when they help other people !
Oh wow. My brain is buzzing with all the interesting ideas you mentioned. I’ve never seen the show Lost – but now, I guess I will have to check it out. I love shows/stories that have a mythology surround them.
Your end game idea reminds me of a story I read by Neil Gaiman about Death (As a comic fan, maybe you can appreciate that.)
So, if one stops blogging or gives themselves a deadline to “cease blogging” – what would come next? I’m always curious about what comes afterward. Would it be reinvention? Would you create another blog?
Maybe my questions are a little prosaic. I’m not sure how I’d do things differently given your last point, but it’s definitely giving me some food for thought.
@ Raven – I love Neil Gaiman! My husband’s working on publishing his first book right now, so we talk about this idea a lot, RE the franchised, multi-year (or decade!) books like Spidey and Superman v. the more Japanese style end-capped series. This is becoming more of a trend in American comics, but more in the indie books, like Scott Pilgrim.
Anyway, I can speak from the experience of someone who has stopped blogging at one blog and started at another – I don’t know that I would do it again, but that’s why I blog on my name domain now, so my blog’s not pegged to its title like it once was.
That said, I’m not sure what I would do things differently based on my last point, but I think it’s worth talking about. Will I blog forever? Though I will probably write for forever, it seems unlikely that I’ll always be blogging in the form that I see it as right now. So I’d like to make the most of what this is, every moment. And I’d like my readers to get as much out of it as they can. So maybe talking about these ideas can make us better at what we do, as we do it!
I wasn’t sure where I can post my comment so I am asking. Where can I write to the writers of Lost. I have a couple of questions. One is, Why are they stopping Lost on its 6th season? Because I cannot find a genuine answer. The other is, if it is because of writers block, because by the 5th season they have already returned home, then I have a suggestion on how they can keep the show going, it would be cheap production wise and gripping to the audience because it relays real life thoughts that people think of each day, captured in a series, it would be watched with great interest.
Great post on the commitment to writing fearlessly and passionately. Thank you.