I must admit, I love to read chick lit, popular fiction, and young adult fiction. In my reading I run across many different types of pop culture references. And, I have to say, I have mixed feelings about these references.

First of all, I don't understand the rules that the lawyers are running. What I mean is, some references to movies stars are people we know, people we have seen in movies and magazines, such as Julia Roberts. But, some are imaginary, names pulled out of the author's mind. I have to say, this makes me wonder if the author is trying to protect the innocent by changing names. And, this duality often happens within the same book. So what's the law, do some people not like to be mentioned in fiction, do they post bans?

I recently read an article about Jodie Foster in "Entertainment" magazine. She was saying that she sometimes stumbles upon her own name in her leisure reading, and that this can be a bit startling to her. She wasn't, however, complaining, she was merely exposing the fact.

I would say, as a rule of thumb, you should not let your piece become over loaded with pop culture references. This can be very overwhelming to the reader. Especially, if you are lucky enough to have your writing read by a young person 5-10 years from now. Most likely, these readers will have no idea what or who you are talking about. But, if they do, they are obviously very well read.

Some exceptions to this rule are; newspaper articles, Internet articles or blogs. These three venues live and breathe on pop culture references. Some might go so far as to say, the prevalence of blogs would be non-existent without the likes of Britney Spears, Linsday Lohan, and Paris Hilton. Without these ladies, what would bloggers have to talk about?

When writing fiction, I would encourage you to avoid flash in the pan type cultural references. Just because today we can't believe that Britney lost custody of her kids, doesn't mean a reader is going to care when your work finally goes to print. Use good judgment. You can tell the difference between an iconic reference that is going to shape our societies thinking for years to come, and a reference that is going to make photogs, journalists, and bloggers a lot of money for a week or two.

As a writer, you have the opportunity to create a world of you own. Take advantage of this, create something that is completely original. But, know, that rooting your work within reality, within a specific place and time in history, can be very exciting for a reader. As they are escaping their reality, into yours, they can say, "Yeah, WOW, I remember what that was like!" This gives them a connection to your work, just one of the things that will keep them coming back for more.

Learn more about this author, Caroline Ross.
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