I remember the most negatively received thing I've said on here so far was that music and creepypasta fan fics shouldn't mix. Now I've changed my mind... Kind of.
If you want to have a character mention a song, that's fine, but make sure that it:
A. Furthers the plot.
Don't halt the plot entirely to mention your favorite indie emo band for five seconds. No one cares or came for the story for that. They came for your writing.
B. Develops the characters.
One great example I heard was about a character who was actually an aspiring musician. There, it's absolutely necessary to mention what she's seeing to help visualize. Stuff like that.
C. Has relivance to the rest of the chapter.
I'll use the example from my book
Too Many Years to Count, where Jack and the main character were in their fort. Music, that song in specific, is a tradition for theirs. While it does not do A, it does develop their close relationship a little.
Just follow these guidelines to make sure you don't seem like a hipster emo douchebag when writing.
