While pop cultural references can date a writer's work, and thus, should be used sparingly (or not at all depending on who you talk to), a well-placed pop cultural reference can actually enhance a writer's work. Because what constitutes pop culture' is so extensive, finding the right reference isn't an overly difficult task, and the right reference can serve to fully draw a reader into a work, making them understand a plot point, or character, in a way that is distinctive and memorable.

For instance, having a character in a romance novel say that she doesn't want to have 'Princess Diana's life' can be quite effective, within context, given how tragic Princess Diana's life turned out to be. While this reference will date the work (and character) to a certain degree, if used well, it can also show how the character isn't your typical, dewy-eyed, romance heroine, and can clue a reader in on the fact that the romance novel may not be your standard, 'happily ever after' type of story.

The key, of course, is to use the references well, and in a way that enhances the story. To do this, there are several things that a writer must keep in mind.

(1) Understand time frames. What constitutes a 'pop cultural reference' changes with the times - especially in this day and age where anyone can become famous for anything. Thus, it is important to keep your story's time frame in mind. For instance, if a story is a historical romance, taking place in the 18th century, having the heroine reference Princess Diana would be grossly out of place, and would detract from the story, as opposed to enhancing it. Similarly, if the work is contemporary, you don't want too many old' references, unless it was true to character, and/or the story.

(2) Be relevant. The pop cultural reference should be relevant to either the story or character. You should write the story and characters and inject a pop cultural reference if it works in that context, as opposed to trying to write a scene or character to use a pop cultural reference. In other words, the tail should never wag the dog. If it doesn't work, and there's no way that you can make it work without compromising character or story, then the pop cultural reference has no relevance to your writing and shouldn't be used.

(3) Reference with broad strokes. For a pop cultural reference to be well-placed within a story, it should be broad enough so that it doesn't lock a story or character down too much. In deciding to use a pop cultural

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