How do you encapsulate the story of your character’s life in just a few words.? I found hints for this while exploring the topic of how to write an obituary. That led me to some intriguing (and sometimes heart-breaking) obituaries. The best bring more than facts. They stick in you memory. They bring a part of the person back to life.
To me, that seemed like a good way to lodge my characters in my mind in a different way. So I began writing obituaries of my characters. It was not a morbid exercise. It was a way to celebrate how real they were becoming for me. A way to share their travails, stumbling, successes, and happy endings. (Yes, I gave them ALL happy endings. Even the villains.) They were notes from my heart.
The payoff was that, even in an ensemble piece I was writing with eleven equally important people, I got hooks that helped with storytelling. My characters each have their own needs, perspectives, strategies, and voices. And I don’t need to look at references to keep them straight.
So here are the four elements of an obituary, as modified by my explorations into the best, most engaging ones. They provide a map you can follow (or digress from) for your own characters. And I’ve provided one I wrote for one story’s hero as an example.
Death Announcement
This includes the date (which sets the character in time), location (space), and cause of death (often skipped in real obituaries, but good to put into fictional ones).
Family
This orients the character in terms of relationships. It can provide a context that implies responsibilities (legal, financial, emotional), losses (predeceased) and choices (divorces). It can also be a place to include something about friends.
Biographical Details & Personal Observations
This is the big one. The goal is to illustrate who this person is in a few memorable words. There great thing is you always have a starting point, basic facts like where the character was born and something about employment. That can make it easier to come up with the observations, which are invaluable. I will write about 250 words and cut it down to 75-150. That’s brief enough to add clarity to the character.
When I get stuck, I give the job to another character — either one who would not want to offend the subject of the obituary or one who uses it for revenge. (The latter can have a lot of power.)
Funeral Arrangements
This can be dry, but this subject does point to beliefs, religion, and family obligations. The “in lieu of flowers” part may be the most revealing.
Sample (created to explore my character):
Bertolan Olah, 74, died of natural causes on Friday, May 6, 2022, at Reynards Assisted Living Center.
Though Bertolan often spoke of his brothers and other family members, no information about his relatives is available at this time.
Bertolan was born behind the Iron Curtain in Nádudvar, Hungary. Most of the men in his family fought in World War II. His uncle died in the unsuccessful Hungarian Revolution. His father emigrated at that time, and he and his brothers became adept at trading, ultimately founding an import-export firm that still exists today. He emigrated to Rockville, Maryland. to retire, having already made many US friends through his business endeavors. He was often seen at embassy functions, where he gravitated toward American politicians.
He said, “Accept favors when offered. Return them as you can." Having lost an arm during military service, Bertolan pushed himself to be independent when he could. He learned to type fifty words per minute with one hand. But he also found relying on others created lifelong bonds with others. While at Reynards, he became known as the one to talk to if you have a yen for fancy chocolate, herbal cigarettes, or hard-to-get publications.
His wake will be held on June 9 at Reynalds Funeral Home. His friends at Reynards Assisted Living plan to hold a memorial service later this year.
Note: It might be fun to try this first for a character from someone else’s work: Captain Ahab or Tom Sawyer or Molly Bloom. Also, while real obituaries are rigorously factual (used to train reporters), yours can be full of lies.
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