Last night's episode of Lost was my favorite of the series so far. I have yet to discuss it here because it's such a complex television show and I wouldn't even know where to start, though I'm sure if you ask some of its more avid fans, they might say otherwise.For me, Lost's appeal is its storytelling. Yes, Evangeline Lily is cute, yes, Terry O'Quinn can act his ass off, and yes, Harold Perrineau is versatile as hell, but it's the storytelling that gets me. It inspires me.Interestingly enough, ER used to do the same thing. Back in college, Thursday nights used to be my "writing nights" because ER aired on those nights (it still does). Back then, after watching an episode of ER, my creative juices would get going and I'd want to write.I've never talked to another writer about this, so I don't know if other writers have experienced something similar. I know athletes experience something similar in sports, though. In high school I played football--tailback--and was on the track team--shot put and discus. When I saw the other team's tailback rip off a long, spectacular run, or a thrower pop a nice one, I'd get a little amped up. The adrenaline would start flowing, I'd get all tingly, and I couldn't wait until our offense stepped onto the field or I got into the ring so I could do my thang.Watching ER then and Lost now is kind of like that. But don't get me wrong. It's not that I want to "out-write" ER or Lost, it's more like I'm feeding off the wonderful creativity of the shows. In other words, I see a well-crafted creative piece on television, and I say to myself, "I want to write a well-crafted creative piece."Has anyone else experienced that?
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