The episode was written by David Fury and directed by Greg Yaitanes.[3] According to series co-creator Damon Lindelof, discussion of both "Solitary" and the following episode, "Raised by Another", began in September 2004, when Lost debuted on television. The production team had fallen behind schedule, so Fury worked on "Solitary" while others went to a separate room to discuss "Raised by Another", with co-creator Carlton Cuse "bouncing between the two universes".[4] Although production codes generally go in ascending order, "Solitary" had production code 107, while "Raised by Another" had production code 106.