Disclosure: This post is not meant to offend anybody. If you are easily offended then please leave the site now.

Ok. Are you still here?

Please read this post with an open mind. We’re talking about funerals, a tricky subject. Funerals are sad. They bring people together to remember someone that has died. It’s a guaranteed part of life. We are all going to die and that’s just how it is.

There is certainly reason to be sad at funerals, but I’ve been thinking there are also reasons to smile.

No, I’m not celebrating the death of anyone. The smiling I’m referring to is when people remember their friends and family by sharing stories.

Storytelling at Funerals Can Inspire Blogging

Something I enjoy about funerals (that’s a weird thing to write, but let’s go with it…) is when people tell stories.

Think about the funerals you have attended. There were likely stories being told in front of everyone and in one-in-one conversations after the funeral. You discuss the life of the person. Some stories are funny. Some are sad. Others are intriguing for the detail and interest of the main character.

Stories are something people have always connected with in life. For whatever reason, we are drawn into the stories of others. Even if the story is extremely detailed about another person we can always draw connections to our own lives. It’s weird and I’m not sure why it works that way, but it does.

At funerals, when people are sharing stories there is always reason to draw parallels to your own life. You hear people telling stories about love, danger, and risk taking and you wonder if it’s time for you to take that risk in life and go for it. You never know when death is coming so maybe now is the time.

But enough about that. It’s time to talk about stories once again.

Telling a story is a great blogging strategy. That point we’ve reviewed.

Let’s take things a little further this time. Think about your blog in terms of funeral storytelling.

Put yourself in the mindset of a person sharing a story at a funeral. You can pick any topic even if it’s something like plumbing.

The strategy you take is tell stories about your experiences as a plumber. Share stories like you’re talking about something you and your best friend, now deceased, went through when finding yourselves in a unique plumbing situation.

When you write like this you are providing details that only come out when you speak from real experiences. You can include humor that will make the readers smile. You can include details that shows off how well you knew the person and the craft you both loved.

People will connect to this type of blogging.

Anybody can write how-to posts, but it’s difficult to write stories that really connect with readers. It’s difficult and it can always be personal. Not everybody is comfortable sharing personal stories even if they aren’t sharing intimate details.

However, if you are comfortable with storytelling you can really gain a blogging advantage over the competition.

The next time you’re at a funeral (I hope it’s a long time from now), think about the stories the person is telling. Then think about how you can use that technique to write your blog posts.

On second thought, be in the moment when you’re at a funeral. It’s not about blogging at that point.

Once you leave, though, it’s time to get to blogging.