Daily Dialogue — March 15, 2018

“Good afternoon. My name is Edward Cole. I don’t know what most people say at these occasions because in all honesty, I’ve tried to avoid them. The simplest thing is I loved him and I miss him. Carter and I saw the world together, which is amazing when you think that only three months ago we were complete strangers. I hope that it doesn’t sound selfish of me, but the last months of his life were the best months of mine. He saved my life, and he knew it before I did. I’m deeply proud that this man found it worth his while to know me. In the end, I think it’s safe to say that we brought some joy to one another’s lives, so one day, when I go to some final resting place, if I happen to wake up next to a certain wall with a gate, I hope that Carter’s there to vouch for me and show me the ropes on the other side.”

— The Bucket List (2007), written by Justin Zackham

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Eulogy.

Trivia: The screenplay for this film was featured in the 2006 Blacklist; a list of the “most liked” unmade scripts of the year.

Dialogue On Dialogue: It’s so easy to go maudlin when writing about death. This is especially true when penning a eulogy. The thing is… death pretty much speaks for itself. Words about death can become morose, even melodramatic.

In this eulogy, Cole (Jack Nicholson) talks, instead, about life, how his friend Carter (Morgan Freeman) helped “save” Cole.

A good tip for writing eulogies: Focus on the meaning and impact of the deceased’s life, not their passing.