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tips on writing an obit

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Speedway, Dec 10, 2007.

  1. budcrew08

    budcrew08 Active Member

    Belated condolescences for your loss.
     
  2. Cansportschick

    Cansportschick Active Member

    Speedway, if you can access anything online, you should look at the work of Kevin Cox, formerly of the Globe and Mail here in Canada. He did teach me about writing an obit. I consider him one of the best so you might want to take a look to get a feel of what and how you should write them.

    If you would like to contact him, PM me and I can give you contact info for him. He likes to help people out.
     
  3. wickedwritah

    wickedwritah Guest

    Is it really a true obituary? When did the person die? Sounds like there's a lapse in the time element here. If that is the case, don't focus so much on the man's death himself, focus on his loss to the community, family, etc.

    I used to love writing feature obits when I was an intern, because you're able to tell a person's complete story. Many times, the family is appreciative of the opportunity to talk, especially if the deceased had been ill for a while and they're able to share some funny, positive stories. Each day, we'd go through the obits and try to find some special nugget to pull out and polish. The whistling cop was one, a former high school football coach and radio color guy was another.

    I hate overstating our importance, but an obituary is like giving the family one final "gift" by which to remember their loved one.

    And while there was a thread on here yesterday bemoaning anecdotal ledes, this is one situation where anecdotal is the way to go.
     
  4. FreddiePatek

    FreddiePatek Active Member

    Go find the obits the New York Times did on each victim of 9/11. They did a few each day for quite a while. I think they can be found simply by Googling "New York Times" and "9/11 obits" or some such combination.

    They were succinct yet revealed much about each person.
     
  5. GBNF

    GBNF Well-Known Member

    DONE. JUST READ THIS.
     
  6. GBNF

    GBNF Well-Known Member

    Do not, repeat DO NOT, read this unless you want to cry. I'm sitting in a press box with tears in my eyes.
     
  7. FreddiePatek

    FreddiePatek Active Member

    Damn good, aren't they?
     
  8. forever_town

    forever_town Well-Known Member

    Lesson 1: Be respectful.
    Remember that the people you are interviewing are dealing with the raw pain of losing a loved one. They will not be in the frame of mind of most of the people you talk to for gamers or what have you.

    Lesson 2: Make sure you have all the facts right.
    Seeing an obit get facts wrong may be a straw compared to the anvil of pain the family's dealing with, but that straw's going on top of a camel that's already buckling.

    Lesson 3: Find an angle.
    What was it about the person that's remarkable?

    The one time I wrote an obituary, the angle I took was the woman who died was three weeks away from graduating from the university. I got the assignment -- in spite of my student paper's prohibition against a staffer working on two stories at once -- because the editors felt I'd handle the topic delicately enough.

    Even so, it still was one of the hardest assignments I've ever had.
     
  9. awriter

    awriter Active Member

    Speedway,
    I'm guessing you work for a weekly and not a daily, and that this person died a few days or weeks ago. Since it's probably not breaking news, take a feature-y approach but get to the point pretty quickly. Don't bury the lede (yeah, I know that was in terrible taste, sorry). And use your archives. You might find some old features that you can use as a reference, not to mention some quotes from your subject. Also, think about art. Maybe the family has some cool old photos or scrap books that you could use along with any photos your paper has.
     
  10. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Reporting tip: If you need to do an obit and don't know where to start and hesitate to call the grieving widow straight up, talk the the funeral home folks first.

    The wife/kids/etc. may be too distraught initially, but they can point you to someone who is handling things for the family and know who would be willing to talk and once you're in with one person you can go from there.
     
  11. BillyT

    BillyT Active Member

    1. I need to re-write it because my hard drive crashed this summer, but I keep my obit on hand, and my wife knows where to find it. I try to keep the photos updated, too.

    There's a note that says it's raw copy -- like anything else -- but I hope they use it as intact as possible.


    2. I should remember the guy's name, but the Boston Globe used to have an obit writer who was an absolute artist. A friend of mine said, "I wish Dad hadn't died, but I am glad he did the obit.

    3. My only advice is like the other folks'. Make sure you get everything right.
     
  12. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    What do you die of BillyT? Something fun, I hope.
     
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