Obits are chock full of characters & storylines
Reading the obituaries in my daily newspaper is not a regular pastime. But as it happened one day, looking for information for personal reasons, I came across the obituary for a WWII soldier.
Out curiosity and respect for his service I began to read the many interesting things about him and his life. It got me thinking.
So I laid the paper flat on the table and began to scan the numerous entries. In among the sadness of these columns were wonderful stories, life-time achievements and delightful tales.
Some had ended battles with cancer and other diseases and others just ran out of time. Some lived long lives, some lives were all too short.
Here before me on these pages were reports and accounts. There were families, friendships, romances and colleagues. All of which blended into the wonderful collage of someone’s life and their impact on others.
For the writer in me there were characters to think about. Would that WWII soldier fit into a story? What about the executive who was first in her law class? Did that contractor work on house where years later a famous murder took place?
We never know where inspiration will hit us. The idea is to keep your mind open and to not discard an idea without examining the possibilities. At the very least the obits can provide you with some interesting names for your characters.
~ June Lorraine
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