Every family deserves a unique and personal obituary to honor their loved one.

But picture this:

After a long day of serving families, you finally have the time to start working on an obituary. You sit down at your desk, pull up the case details, and reread notes from the family.

But 10 minutes have passed, and the blank document you’ve been staring at can only mean one thing…

You have writer’s block.

Despite templates and years of experience writing obituaries, sometimes finding the right words is a challenge. And the quick turnaround time doesn’t make things any easier.

Luckily, AI writing tools exist to get rid of pesky writer’s block for good! Learn 3 benefits of using AI to write obituaries here.

But AI writing tools can also be a bit creative when it comes to the details, sometimes adding irrelevant information that doesn’t fit the loved one.

Though AI can help you draft something quickly, your role is still an important one as only you can proofread for accuracy and add personalization where necessary.

To ensure you don’t send an inaccurate obituary to the family, here’s a list of 5 tips to edit an AI obituary, no matter what tool you use.

Tip #1. Review the content

The first tip is to check the obituary for accuracy. This includes basic information (name, age, date of birth and death, and surviving family members) that you can verify by comparing the obituary details to the case details.

But you also want to fact-check information about major life events and accomplishments. As mentioned above, sometimes AI tools can add irrelevant details that don’t relate to the loved one. Proofread the obituary and make sure all the information is correct.

Tip #2. Simplify ideas for clarity

The second tip focuses on simplifying the obituary for clarity so it’s easy to read. This looks like removing unclear ideas and repetitive sentences.

If any statements sound ambiguous or vague, go ahead and clear those up by rephrasing or clarifying the sentence until the details are made clear.

See similar sentences or phrases? Go ahead and remove those. All they’ll do is clutter up the obituary.

Eliminate or clarify vague words, such as it, that, these, and those. Try to replace those words with ones that are more specific.

Pro tip: Use Grammarly for more tips on how to edit for clarity (it’s free!).

Tip #3. Edit for flow

Next, you will want to focus on more common mistakes, such as misspelled words and punctuation errors. You will also want to make sure you have a mix of short and long sentences.

Take the obituary and read it out loud. Notice of any portions of the writing that might make you stumble over your words or interrupt the flow of thought. Reading out loud will also help when checking that the obituary has a format that’s easy for readers to follow.

Tip #4. Add personal touches

The key to a healing obituary is personalization.

AI writing tools can personalize an obituary well, but even the best AI-written obituary needs a human touch.

The only way to learn what made a loved one unique is to hear from those who knew them best. From there, you could add quotes or special memories shared by family members or friends.

Maybe the decedent had a few catchphrases or one-liners they were known to use in their everyday vocabulary. Or maybe they were known for their generosity around the holidays and loved donating time and money to specific causes.

The main goal here is to ensure this obituary sounds different from a templated formula that people have read a thousand times.

Tip #5. Seek feedback

The family’s stamp of approval is the most crucial step. Once you have made your way through the tips above, send the obituary over to the family for final editing.

Make sure the family knows that you value their input and feedback and apply any changes they suggest.

If the family sends in their own obituary, the least you can do is proofread to ensure there are no spelling or punctuation errors.