When used badly, pop culture references can date your writing and confuse your readers. When used correctly, they can provide you with some of your funniest jokes and help to place your piece clearly in its time and place. Many writers who use pop culture references have trouble using them well. Here are some tips to ensure that such references help and don't hurt your writing.

Tip #1: Make sure you have a reason for using pop culture references. If you are using pop culture references for a joke, then it is not merely enough to drop a name; make sure that you have a joke thought up that is actually funny. If you are using pop culture references in a serious story, then, again, merely name dropping is not enough. The reference should be in some way relevant to what is happening in the story.

Tip #2: Unless you are writing for a newspaper, never make references to stories of the week in your writing. If the story is big for a day or two, but is the sort of thing that no one is going to remember in a year, then just don't use it. No one will know what you are talking about, and if they do, the only amusement they will get out of it will be in a "oh, I had forgotten all about that" type of way.

Tip #3: Reference the iconic, rather than the merely famous. People tend to remember people, groups or trends that somehow managed to stand for a larger genre or aspect of the culture. Referencing these icons, rather than just people who are famous can give your piece a more timeless quality.

Tip #4: Explain yourself. If you want your work to have relevance several years from now and if you are writing a serious piece, then you might want to consider explaining your pop culture references. This will ensure that your future audience won't be left feeling out of the loop when they read your piece.

Tip #5: Use pop culture references sparingly. Often pop culture references can take a moment to catch onto, even if you are familiar with what the author is referencing. Having to slog through ten pop culture references a page can delay reading and cause you to lose your audience.

Some experts say that you should never use pop culture references at all. It is true that they often date a piece and are thus very difficult to use correctly. However, there are types of stories where a good reference to pop culture can really help. Using these tips can ensure that you use pop culture references to aid your writing rather than to harm it.

Learn more about this author, Joanne Brooks.
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