Life on the Death Beat A Handbook for Obituary Writers

by Baranick, Alana; Sheeler, Jim; Miller, Stephen; Gilbert, Carolyn

• ISBN13: 9781933338026
• ISBN10: 1933338024
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-01
• Publisher: Marion Street Press, LLC

Summary

Obituary writing is more than a regular beat. The obit writer routinely explores the lives and worlds of a wide variety of people, from the famous to the infamous. And the writer isn't limited to writing a three-paragraph summary of a person's life followed by a list of survivors; obits these days can be long captions under photographs, front-page news stories, or 1,000-word feature articles about the deceased and the impact she had on the world. The variety of obits, and the challenge to the obit writer, is broader than ever.

Author Biography

Alana Baranick is an obituary writer for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a regular speaker about obit writing to university journalism classes; obituary writers conferences; and meetings of professional journalists, funeral directors, and civic organizations. Stephen Miller is an obituaries editor for The New York Sun in Manhattan. Jim Sheeler writes narrative obituary features of everyday people for Boulder Planet. He has won more than 50 awards from professional groups including the Colorado Society of Professional Journalists, Colorado Associated Press Editors and Reporters, and Best of the West.

Table of Contents

Foreword: The Art of the Obit	p. 9
Introduction: Writing Deadlines	p. 12
Your Basic Obit	p. 17
Rule No. 1: Make Sure They're Dead	p. 25
They Call Me Mr. Tibbs	p. 33
Age Ain't Nothing But a Number	p. 40
Dig a Little Deeper	p. 45
What Would Ernie Pyle Do?	p. 53
Tell Me Something Good	p. 62
The Goodbye Boy	p. 70
A Place at the Sun	p. 77
More Than Words	p. 90
It's a Wonderful Life	p. 97
Let Me Count the Ways	p. 110
Fast Eddie Watkins and the Disgraceful Dead	p. 118
The Great Pretender	p. 125
Warning, Warning Will Robinson!	p. 130
It's Not Easy Being Grim	p. 138
Might As Well Face It	p. 145
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