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[wherearethebees]

Do you have any tips on writing a eulogy or what makes a good eulogy?

I know my general thesis already but I've never done this before so I might be overlooking basics of form or length or whatever.

Comments

[dawgdays]

I did the eulogy for my mother's funeral.

It was about two pages, single-spaced, in 14-point Garamond so it was easier to read. It took five minutes to deliver.

I think it's good if you can see a theme in the person's life, then use personal anecdotes to illustrate that theme. You want to help folks to recall the good things about the deceased - the light his/her life brought to others. You're going to touch on the loss, you can hardly avoid that, but don't wallow in it.

When delivering the eulogy, remember that you're talking about the deceased, not about yourself. This affects how things are worded. Also, anecdotes that others will recognize will have more effect.

Humor can work, but relate a humorous anecdote - do NOT tell a "joke." Avoid offensive remarks. I suggest that you limit yourself to 5-7 minutes, unless the deceased is particularly illustrious and needs more telling.

Practice it. Say it out loud. Don't just think it in your head. Practice enough that you know what you're going to say, so you don't have to read it word for word. But I advise against trying to memorize a eulogy.

Finally, I suspect that no one remembered anything about the eulogy I delivered for more than a minute after I finished. So, while there are ways you can screw up a eulogy (talking way too long, focusing on yourself rather than the deceased, being outright offensive, rambling), it isn't that difficult to do a decent one. Perfect is not required. Decent will be plenty good enough.

Those are my thoughts. Best of luck to you.