[Insert Pop Culture Reference Here]

I came across a book not long ago with a title that made me stop and say, "Oh wow, I really want to read that." I decided to check out the sample chapter before shilling out the ninety-nine cents to buy it. It started out pretty strong--I was enjoying the way the characters bounced off one another (though that didn't last long...more on that later). 

Then...

The pop culture references started. 

BOOM--Jersey Shore joke! BAM--guy in a Rorschach costume! POW--Twilight references coming at me from every side!

By the time I got to page three, I felt like I had stumbled across the secret illegitimate love child MTV had with TMZ. Needless to say, I came away feeling a little dizzy.

While the jokes were somewhat amusing, I couldn't help thinking they'd be incredibly dated in a few years. I mean, with any luck Jersey Shore will be nothing but a distant, shameful memory ten years from now.

The jokes are funny now, but with time, they'll lose impact--and in some cases, they'll lose meaning all together. If whatever you're joking about drifts far enough away from the public eye, older audiences who actually remember what you're talking about will have to explain the joke to the younger crowd--and if there's one thing that will kill a joke, it's having to stop and explain it.

It's almost the same as how fashion and hair styles in movies and TV shows become dated.

Yeah, you see what I mean.

For instance, my boyfriend and I were once hanging around with some of our friends and a few of their much younger relatives. Somehow, one of us ended up making a Superdude reference. Now, the two of us and all our friends grew up in the 90s, so we definitely watched All That.

And we definitely knew who Superdude was.

So, we got the joke and we had a good laugh. But the kids hadn't been introduced to All That (though, they have started playing it again...really late at night on weekdays. Thank all things holy for TiVo) and, naturally, they didn't get what was so funny.

The same thing applies to this book. The entire first chapter, which was only a few pages long, was absolutely packed with pop culture references. There was at least one mention of AXE body spray or Jack Sparrow or Twilight every few paragraphs. In fact, the most pivotal part of the first chapter revolves around one of the characters pissing off a large group of Twi-hards.

It's almost like this author was setting their work up to become dated right from the get-go. (Not that I think Twilight will eventually fade from the public eye...I'm just pretty sure the Twi-mania will cool down after a while.)

My point here is simple: while you're writing, keep in mind what makes a work timeless...and what sets it up to become dated right off the bat.

Also, I mentioned wanting to talk about the characters' interactions with one another. That will be my next post. So yeah...be on the look out for that.

What are your thoughts on an abundance of pop culture references?

Have you ever found something you knew would be dated in ten years?

HAPPY WRITING, LOVELIES!