But, her death also made me think. It was so thoughtful of her husband to let his wife's blogging community know about her death. How much he must have loved her.
Would those close to us remember? I would like to think so but perhaps we should think about writing a writer's Last Will and Testament.
What to include:
(1) A reminder for our significant others or friends to leave a last blog or vlog. Perhaps WE could write it for them.
(a) Could we film ourselves saying our last words and leave it for them to put up on youtube and then on our blog?
(b) Could we write our last blog post and when we die, all our friends or family have to do is click the "Publish Post" button? This also insures we leave our words.
(c) We're writers, could we write our own obituaries?
(2) Have we written our passwords down and left it in a place our significant others can find? I know my laptops are password protected and so are most of my online applications (twitter, facebook, blogger, thenextbigwriter). Will our spouses be able to sign in?
(3) Have we left the contact information of (a) our publisher (b) agents (c) editors (d) readers? That way our family can send in the latest copy of our manuscript for publication.
(4) Have we given our family rights to our work so that perhaps they could finish and publish it? Or make sure that our family CAN'T finish and publish it? (Maybe we have journals, photos, poems, notes that are private.)
(5) Could we WILL our ideas to fellow bloggers or writers to finish our manuscript with or just get our ideas out there?
Any other suggestions? Have I left something out?
This is such a thoughtful and necessary post. Something I haven't thought about before, but reading your words made me realize I absolutely MUST think about this. Thank you Clarissa!
ReplyDeleteHow sad that she has left us and what a beautiful tribute you've written. What better way to pay homage than to bring these things to our attention.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Clarissa, that rebel, Olivia
It sort of had me in a panic. I was both sad and scared at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to think about it, but now I have to. I'll really miss Jane.
ReplyDelete@ Alex. It's scary, right!?
ReplyDeleteSo true. I did think about this myself after reading the news of Jane's passing. If something happens to me, I am not even sure if any of you will come to know :-(
ReplyDelete@Rayna. I know you post everyday so if you missed a day, we all would notice. Perhaps some of your friends in India could do a post?
ReplyDeleteJane's passing has definitely made ME think. There may be those out there that WOULD miss me. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice that her husband didn't make use wonder.
Great post!
@Teresa. We would miss you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post, Clarissa. You've certainly given me something to think about. It's a scary but necessary subject.
ReplyDeleteI'll miss Jane very much. It's wonderful how connected we can be to people we've never met.
Thanks, Clarissa, for your thoughts and advice. Really makes you think.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad!
ReplyDeleteI've blogged about this subject too. I advise people to name a "blog executor" who's a fellow blogger. Writing your own blog farewell is a great idea. You can give them a copy along with your password. Then ask them to keep your blog up for a while for comments and then archive it or take it down so it doesn't hang in cyberspace collecting spam.
Jane's husband rose to the occasion magnificently, but not all survivors will know how to navigate the blogosphere, plus they'll have an awful lot of other things to do during their time of mourning, which is why I suggest asking a fellow blogger.
Jane was one of my earliest blog friends, and I miss her already. I'm a little panicky over the same thing. One of these days I need to do everything you mentioned in your post. We all should do it today, but I know I won't. I did make myself a note, though, for when I finish my WIP in a few weeks. Dear Lord, don't let me die first. Please.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe it when I red her blog Monday morning. I've known Jane for several years now. So sad.
ReplyDeleteMy husband has my list of passcodes but I need to teach him how to post a blog and update my websites.
I've thought about all these things... especially my passoword... I think I wrote it once in a print journal I keep. Crazy to think about.
ReplyDeleteClarissa - Thank you so much for making us all think about the things we really should do. We really are a community here and when even one of us leaves, it's a sad, sad blow. We need to prepare for that...
ReplyDeleteThe thought of writing my own obituary depresses me. I think I'd rather assume I have a few good years left than think about my own death, even if it is necessary on some level
ReplyDeleteWhen I lost all of my bloggers a while back (a blogger glitch and I had to start over) I think I must have missed getting Jane back because I haven't visited her for a long time. But I did for quite a while, and now it's like hearing that an old friend you haven't seen for a while is gone.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought of having someone assigned to get into my blog. Yes, I would definitely miss someone I "see" almost every day on blogger.
One thing you say about writing our obituaries (yes we are writers): reminds me of several decades ago when I was in graduate school and some of my peers who were also about my age at the time, in their forties, came up with some very clever obituaries. It must not have been required to write one because I didn't. Now you've got me thinking...
A great post, Clarissa. I think about such things all the time, though not with blogs. I think about my disabled daughter, and did recently get a Living Will for her signed should something happen. Death does come to all of us sooner or later.
I am so touched by Jane's husband. It's wonderful to have a devoted spouse.
@Jan I'll miss her too.
ReplyDelete@Karen It really made me think!
@Anne That's a great idea, asking a fellow blogger. I need to decide who...
@Carol I wrote this post but I know I won't do it today either. However, my husband has already agreed to do it for me. However, what if we die in an accident together? Maybe a blogger is the best idea.
@L. Diane Yeah, I should teach my husband.
@Austin It is crazy, isn't it?
@Margot So true! Yesterday was a really sad day for so many.
@Angela Yeah, who wants to think about death. Yikes.
@Ann Living wills are so important. I have one and I hope my husband follows my wishes.
What a depressing thought, but something we all need to consider. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteyep, I talked about this grim subject a few times before with other bloggers.
ReplyDeleteIt's quite strange how so many of us have been visitors in each other's every day lives for years and still if something unexpected happens, God forbid, most of us would stay uninformed as to what happened.
My blog would just cease to exist in a matter of seconds since my family doesn't really follow my online life.
It's quite a disturbing thought.
Awww Jane Kennedy Sutton. :-( She wrote such wonderful posts that always led to lively debate! It's so so sad.
ReplyDeletePlease, please please I hope none of you wonderful bloggers whom I follow disappear without a trace!! :-(
Take care
x
Though I did not know Jane it is sad to hear and think about how hard it must have been for her husband.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, it's just me so I guess if anyone does notice me gone they will just have wonder.
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow
oh my, I think of this stuff all the time - this is a good list. I'd add - what do we want our peeps to do with the...ahem...ninety or so journals and writing books littering our shelves? burn, read, release,???
ReplyDeleteWhat do we want read at our funerals?
What do we want to be awake for while we are alive - life being such a precious thing...
I will miss Jane too. She was a gem.
Jan Morrison
I didn't know her Clarrisa but I am very sorry for the loss of your dear friends. and the things you've mentioned do not even apply to writing / blogville alone. There is so much we have to face up to in order to prepare for those we care for.
ReplyDeleteThese are great ideas. I especially like the one where we could write our last blog post and when we die, all our friends or family have to do is click the "Publish Post" button.
ReplyDeleteIt's terrible when an online friend simply disappears. :(
Since I'm of an age where 'anything' can happen, I've given this some thought. I have a book of passwords and a list of names for hubby in case I kick the bucket unexpectedly.
ReplyDeleteSince I live alone so often, I also have friends and family who check up on me regularly to make sure I haven't accidentally killed myself on farm equipment. :)
The important thing is, is to keep your network alive.
I know this sounds pretty morbid, but I've thought about this a lot - I have a lot of sites I'd need a loved one/friend to update (which means giving them all my passwords to said sites), to let people know if something had happened to me. I haven't done up a will yet though.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post written by her husband. This is a thorough job of covering all the bases. You did it so eloquently. That's why I follow you.
ReplyDeleteWas a great post. No-one like to think terrible things can happen, but... I feel so close to so many members of the blogging community and I'd hate to go without saying goodbye somehow!
ReplyDeleteI really felt like I'd lost a friend in Jane and I was so appreciative that her husband was thoughtful and let us all know.
ReplyDeleteI've spoken with my husband several times about what to do if I were to die--so many online threads to tie up. So many accounts! A good reminder, Clarissa...thanks.
Condolences to her family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of any of this, ubt I'll have to set somethingin motion when I get home.
Unfortunately my ideas would be useless to anyone else, b/c I store them as snippets (Everyboy's coming back/ In the Pink/ Curtains) that would be meaningless to anyone else :(
This is very thought-provoking. That part about the passwords really hit me. Write them down legibly. Or print them out so there are no questions.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about this a few times, but never really set anything down before. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDeleteJane will be sorely missed. I was very appreciative of her husband's words. It's horrible to wonder when someone disappears without a trace.
ReplyDeleteSome things you may want to consider are
ReplyDeleteWhat do you want to happen to your books and "name" after you die. Do you want others to write books using your name? Do you want someone to finish whatever books you didn't finish?
Do you want books you wrote years ago to be pulled out and sold?
Do you want your notes and drafts sold or given to a university or a collector?
Do you want someone to maintain your promotions (website, etc.) while your books are in print?
Do you want a special executor just for your writing. Most established authors name their literary agent or literary lawyer as special executor to their writing estate because writing is so specialized that people not in the business haven't a clue.
Here's a really excellent blog on the subject by Neil Gaiman which includes a PDF form that writers can use to explain their wishes on their works.
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2006/10/important-and-pass-it-on.html
This was some great stuff to think about. I saw an episode of House and she was in the hospital still posting and it made me think about how much my husband would know. We chatted and he knows how to access my stuff and we've talked about a last post.
ReplyDeleteWow. This is something I've never thought about. It's sad, and now I have to consider it. Thank you.
ReplyDelete~JD
Its great that Jane's husband was able to log on and give tribute to his wife and update us on his loss. A loss that we all share in. I should do the same with my wife. You never know when the Good Lord will call someone home.
ReplyDeleteOH Clarissa! I left a comment here on Thursday and because of bad Blogger, it's now gone!!
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad about Jane. Very sad. Please take care
x
Clarissa, you're scaring me. However, death is as inevitable as life so I guess we should face up to it. I often think about my funeral and how I'd like fantastic wild happy music not some dirge and I guess I should let someone know!
ReplyDeleteI think you've done a great job of thinking this through logically, which I would expect of you. There are a lot of things to think about.
Denise<3
Romantic Friday Writers - Second Challenge - Lost.
Good idea. I'll file this with my other papers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the push.
Hi Clarissa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a thoughtful post. Your suggestions are quite helpful.
Donna V.
What? I didn't know. I followed Jane's blog and she followed mine. How sad.
ReplyDeletebless Jane, sorry for her death...
ReplyDeleteprayers.
omg, I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. :o\ ((hugs))
ReplyDeleteand wow. What a great reminder of things we need to do. These items hadn't even crossed my mind, and you're so right! We need to do them!
How odd to think of writing a "if you're reading this" post. Unusual thought... <3
check out short story slam and make a submission today.
ReplyDeletehope to see you in.
Some great stuff here. My husband knows all my passwords and could put up a post.....great idea about the family and legal rights, too.
ReplyDeleteVery sad the reason for the post, though. I only just met her in the A to Z.....
Thanks for this. I had not thought about leaving passwords and all.
ReplyDeleteThis post gave me a lot to think about, thank you. So sorry about Jane.
ReplyDeleteHi Clarissa .. I did see the other day - that someone had died and had written his own last post - which the family had published .. if you know it's happening and +/- when - then you could organise it yourself.
ReplyDeleteBut like all things in life - we need to leave a road map, so our near and dears aren't left in the dark .. and I'd like to think our work will continue ..
It was wonderful of Jane's husband to let us know - and then for Arlee to publish a post too .. giving it a little more airplay ...
Some good suggestions - other than your excellent starting point .. thanks - Hilary
Good points. I have come across a blog or two which just ´disappeared´. You can guess what have happened, but often you don´t know.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great reminder to us all. I'm not sure if my family would know what to do in case with my blog, etc.
ReplyDeleteNever had I considered any of these questions before and now it is something that will require me to sit down and make a game plan for. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeletehi miss clarissa. im just real sorry bout your friend. i didnt know miss jane but it sounds like she was just real special. i went and did a nice comment for her husband. for me i got every thing all organized out for when i die. i got that all took care of last year. even though im just only 11 i got a will. its just real good to know whats gonna happen is what you could want when you get dead. this is judy a real important post.
ReplyDelete...hugs from lenny