# Nostalgia as a Writer's Tool



## GeekRaptor (Aug 10, 2015)

What's YOUR experience with Nostalgia? 

And what advice would you give?


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## Conker (Aug 11, 2015)

It depends on how it's used, like all tools. Invoking the past and childhood experiences can be very very powerful, and that can be an easy way to bring a reader to an emotional point you want them to reach.

However, it can also be abused and used really poorly. Ernest Cline wrote two novels that basically focus on nothing but 1980's nostalgia, and instead of bringing up the culture in any real way, he did it because...well, he's shit at what he does. Ready Player One and Armada are fucking terrible books. He doesn't mention or allude to older video games and movies for the benefit of the reader but for the benefit of himself, since he can say, "It was like Star Wars!" and not actually describe a scene. It's lazy and shitty and he should feel bad for being so lazy and shitty.

I honestly can't think of any specific times when I've seen nostalgia as a concept used well, though that doesn't mean it hasn't been.


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## Gnarl (Aug 12, 2015)

just don't!


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## nicanor (Mar 13, 2016)

Nostalgia is a wonderful tool for fleshing out characters and environments, but shouldn't overshadow the important elements of a story.

For Example: If you write a character, the reader should know more about them than "They own all these nostalgic things we did!"


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## Fopfox (Mar 16, 2016)

Nostalgic Pop Culture references are awful and should be avoided.

Nostalgia for a setting, place or time can be very interesting. Like returning to your hometown and finding it run-down and dilapidated. An intense emotional feeling.


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## furrycoolkid (Jun 4, 2016)

I love old school stuff


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## furrycoolkid (Jun 11, 2016)

GeekRaptor said:


> What's YOUR experience with Nostalgia?
> 
> And what advice would you give?


I like using old school stuff in my stories


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## ShamonCornell (Jun 11, 2016)

So, here's the problems with over-use of pop culture references:
- Accessibility.  If your work requires reams of "suggested reading" in order to be enjoyed by anyone but yourself?  Then by and large, it CAN'T be enjoyed by anyone but yourself.  Not everyone watched the same anime you did, read the same stories, or watched the same shows as you.  When writing for an audience, you need to make sure as many people can enjoy the work as possible.  As such, general touches of an era are fine!  But, constant references to, say, obscure lines of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, that only you would remember, are a bad thing.
- Dating.  Outside of a period work, something depicting a previous time period, trying to be "cutting edge" by mentioning the exact things a character grew up with and has available to them in the immediate time of your story, puts a hard date to when and where the story takes place....and thus, runs the potential risk of making it unrelateable to the audience.  You don't want to make your work too "dated", if you want its appeal to last.
- Licensing.  So, hey, your character really, REALLY digs Mario, and a particular composer from OCRemix, who does Sonic the Hedgehog music in your favorite trance style.  And, they watch all the shows you do, to the point that it's important to the plot.  Well, if you ever try to sell your work, or have advertising pay for your hosting, you run into copyright law, because you're no longer under Creative Commons.  Navigating THAT minefield is enough to make a lawyer jump out of a window.


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## furrycoolkid (Jun 12, 2016)

i like ninja turtles


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## khonggiandep (Jun 24, 2016)

I realy like school stuff


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