How Not to Name Drop in Writing

I recently re-read Massacre of Mankind, an official sequel to H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds that was published in 2017, written by Stephen Baxter. It's a decent book, and Justin Fraser and I talk about it on this episode of The Wordy Pair Podcast.

One problem with it, though, is the constant name-dropping. Baxter keeps throwing out these famous names as if they're a substitute for real descriptiveness, and it annoys me.

The Woolworth Building, Byzantine Mosaics, Tammany Hall, the Plaza Hotel, the Lusitania and the Titanic, the Elephant and Castle area of London, Loch Lomond, and more.

The video above is a cautionary tale about this practice, and what to avoid.

For instance, if you introduce a name, you should find a way to work in a few words up to a couple of sentences of description or justification--tell the reader why the mention is important.

Also, if you're going to introduce a series of real places, make sure they're accurate to real life or you are clear that they are distinct and different for a reason.

Writing for a general audience demands you give details!