Life After Death: How to Write an Obituary

Obituaries are one of the toughest pieces of writing to accomplish. Because it deals with the profiling of the recently deceased, some precaution must be taken while the journalist is writing it as to not offend anyone who may have known or cared for the individual. There are several methods a writer can use to successfully describe someone in an obituary.

One key point is to make sure all the facts are straight. There is no greater error in writing that putting in the wrong information, as this ruins the credibility of the source. This especially applies to obituaries because it can be a sign of disrespect to the person who just passed. When writing a obituary, a writer wants to put in several key facts about the person, such as when they died, how they died, how old they were, important events they had a hand in, who they are survived by, etc.

Another aspect that must be taken into account is positivity. For the most part, obituaries are meant to serve as a celebration of what the person did in life and how them leaving this world affects the ones that are closest to them. This is important to have as it shows the deceased friends and family that care and delicacy was taken into the chronicle of their loved one's life.