Walking the Tightrope on Obituary Writing
Writing obituaries is more tricky than you might think so no matter how good a writer you may be or how well you know the family or the deceased person, there are still a few lines that you may want to think twice before crossing. Defining the word death, for instance, will stump most writers because it sets the tone of your text. If you are not careful, the obituary could sound cold and unsympathetic.
The information that you include in the obituary is another area that can put you in a tight spot. The family members who are the most active in the funeral planning may not be the closest of kin of the one who passed away. The cause of death may or may not be left out, depending on how the family feels about it. Suicide, for instance, can be a little unsettling to some people but acceptable to others. You would not want to put the family members in a compromising spot of having to answer questions from guests. Confirming the inclusion of this matter with them before including it in the content can avoid any awkward situation later.
