I know, kind of morbid for a spring day, but obituaries are wonderful sources of lifestories, character sketches, intriguing stories.
I like to think of stealing from the obituaries less as grave-robbing and more as creating a tribute to a life lived. So, today:
- Go to Obituaries.com (yes, it exists!). Pick an obscure newspaper, Ignore the celebrities. ‘
- Try to find the most ordinary person, or the person with the most detail. Think about what it might have been to live their life, know them, encounter them once.
- Write a story based on one incident in your person’s life, including at least one detail your learned in their obit.
[Could you write about Bonnie and a great-grandchild on their first trout-fishing afternoon together? Would it be a perfect moment? A farce? A dramatic turning point? What did the river look like, sound like? What did she notice?]
Go!