Think about which stories to include in your eulogy.
If you're sitting down to attempt to write a eulogy, odds are that you're struggling to know where to even begin. Something to remember is that most eulogies are simply a collection of stories about the deceased individual. Those who are attending a funeral or memorial are looking to find some relief from their grieving, and stories about the deceased can often provide that relief.
In the midst of your grief, it might be difficult to decide which stories are the ones you should tell in this moment. There are a few things to consider when making this decision.
Who died? Determine your relationship with the deceased individual. Are you delivering a eulogy for a parent, a friend, a child?
Who is the audience? This could be a full-fledged funeral, or it could be a small memorial with a close group of friends and family. The answer to that question will be big help in determining the stories you will want to tell about the deceased. If you will be speaking at a large, formal funeral where everyone the deceased ever knew will be in attendance, it probably isn't the best idea to tell the story about, say, the first time the deceased egged a neighbor's house. But if you're speaking to a group of close friends at a small memorial, a story about the deceased's ability to perform a great keg stand might go over very well.
What do you want to say? This may seem like a silly question, given that you're reading this so you can find help with what to say. But it's an important question to consider. You're delivering this eulogy maybe because you've been asked to, or maybe because you want to. Either way, you obviously want to convey the right message about the deceased individual. You know this person, and this is probably the last chance you'll be able to speak about them in front of others. So, what do you want those other people to know about your loved one? What made the deceased who he/she was? What was his/her best quality? Think about those things, and you'll probably be able to come up with a story that best illustrates what you want other people to know and remember about the deceased.
Before you started answering these questions, you hopefully had a few stories already in mind. And after you've come up with the answers to these questions, you'll be able to pick the perfect stories from the list.
