Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Writing Obituaries | Literary Hub

First, I always start with “the five W’s”: who-what-when-where-why. These always lead to more specific questions. Who is the deceased person? What did he/she do? When were they born, and where? In a hospital? At home? Where in the birth order? Where did they go to school? I ask how historic events affected them. Were they alive during the Great Depression? How did they make ends meet? I go back a little further, too, asking what their parents, grandparents or relatives did. Sometimes you hear fascinating stories about what brought families to Chicago, like maybe jobs at the Jay’s Potato Chips factory, or the chance to study with a famed ballet teacher. Was the deceased person known for a special achievement? It doesn’t have to be a prestigious award. It could be they were once the best polka dancer on Chicago’s Northwest side (which is saying a lot)! A Toronto colleague at the Canadian Jewish news, Ron Csillag, likes to ask, “What is something about the deceased that no one else knows, or that would surprise people?” Another member of the Society of Professional Obituary Writers, John Pope, who writes for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, suggests we look for the “Rosebud”—the thing that was important to the deceased, that made them tick. Canadian journalist Tom Hawthorn suggests you ask about a decisive moment—something that set the person on their path in life. Maybe they were inspired by a teacher who was a nun, for example, and they decided to join a convent. And, I ask about their passions, be it a good cigar, their love for French bulldogs, their appreciation for Denzel Washington, or their ownership of Detroit muscle cars. And I even ask about noteworthy physical attributes. Were they known for a crushing handshake? Their penchant for wearing purple? Their 80 pairs of high heels? And sometimes I ask about their favorite places, be it an island in the Caribbean or at the birdfeeders in their backyard. I guess I could summarize by saying I ask a lot of general questions that lead me to the specific. If they were a phenomenal cook, I even ask for a recipe or two, and we’ll reprint that.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Writing Obituaries | Literary Hub