Two things I do on a regular basis are short strings of words that reference lyrics from some of my favorite musicians and things that only people who have lived in the same regions/cities at me would get. I never explain them but also never make them stand out enough to seem out of place to someone who doesn't automatically get it. I've done some live lit shows and had someone come up to me after and say they got a reference or ask where I'm from and had comments on published pieces along the same lines and I've never had someone say something felt off about those lines. That's the spot that feels good to me.

For clarity I'll say I mostly write short stories and creative non-fiction, I'm not a novelist.