: Re: Should fiction mention song names and iPods? In my novel, the protagonist is depressed. In the story which is in my mind... The autumn leaves were falling as I was sitting alone and

@Smith147

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Lots of novels go into detail about music, movies, TV shows, and other art and culture relevant during the setting of the book. Also technology.

In some cases the cultural details are important to the setting. High Fidelity is all about the music; failing to mention it would have ruined the book. In other cases, giving those details evokes a particular era. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has so many details about the main character's use of computers that it dated itself before it was even published.

Writing a book that is grounded in a particular time and place is not a bad thing. You just have to decide if it's what you want.

Listing songs won't be enough to engage the reader though. You can do a few as mere mentions as background, but remember most readers won't be familiar with it. For example, I know the song Mad Mad World quite well but couldn't tell you which version is Gary Jules'. But others won't know the song at all.

So weave the songs and the tech into the story. Not too much or you risk boring the reader or slowing down your narrative. And not all the time. Just enough so the reader gets a feel for it. Have your character manipulate the iPod. How does s/he skip a song or choose a particular one? What's the process of picking a playlist and downloading it to the device? What's a line from a song that the character loves or hates or perseverates on? How does the beat or feel of the songs s/he prefers affect her/him?

Get in your character's head and enter her/his world. Make your reader do the same. That's not lazy writing; that's what you're aiming for.

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