Pop Prompts Showtunes uses musical theater classics to awaken your creative spirit. GET IT HERE.
Every writing prompt in this book was inspired by a specific showtune. Listen to the songat the top of the page before you write. Let the song set a tone for your writing session.Think about what the song means, think about what the songwriters want you to feel. Feel those emotions! Let the song fill you up. Then read the accompanying writingprompt and start working.
For every showtune, there are four writing prompts. Depending on what you're writing,you'll follow a different path through the book:
If you're a songwriter, focus on the Musical Prompts. All you need to do is develop a song from each chapter and you're well on your way to creating your own musical.
If you're writing a book, play, or screenplay, look at the Fiction Prompts. They'll takeyou on a journey through character and plot development, and help you find your voice. Do one prompt from each chapter and you'll have the skeleton of your story in no time.
If you want to think deeply about yourself and the world around you, dive intothe Journaling Prompts. These prompts pose questions that will take you on an introspective journey. Forget about shadow work-I'd rather have my trauma healed byshowtunes!
If you're a drama student, the Stagecraft Prompts give a framework for understanding how musicals function. These showtunes represent the development of musical theater over more than 100 years. Discover how to make drama through song. Listen, learn, and write.
The book ends with a Master Class, where we'll take a close look at the musical Fun Home.
Wake up your inner theater geek and get creative. It's time to make your writing pop.
"An inspired and inspiring invitation to creativity, this book is a gift to any writer facing the twin terrors of the blank page and the blinking cursor, and an expert guide to thehow and why of great musical theater storytelling." - Steven Levenson, writer, Dear EvanHansen, 2017 Tony Award Winner
"Erik Patterson is a brilliant, hilarious, and soulful writer as well as a gifted writing teacher. With Pop Prompts Showtunes, he channels his wit and intelligence into clear,focused, actionable mini-writing assignments that will infuse your writing process with joy. Looking for inspiration? It's right here. This book will change your life." - Bridget Carpenter, writer, Freaky Friday: The Musical
"Erik's writing prompts have been vital in breaking me out of creative confinement and into inventive thought. For any writer who wants to breathe life into their stories and characters, this book is a game-changer." - Sydney Lucas, writer and actor, 2015 Tony Award Nominee, Fun Home
Pop Prompts: The '90s takes you on a journey through a decade of music that willliberate the writer in you from whatever holds you back.
R&B, rock, and rap. Grunge and hip-hop. Pop and punk. The lines between genres and mainstream vs. counterculture music often disappeared as '90s musicians embraced themantra of their time: anything goes.
Now it's your turn. Each '90s song in this book is your cue to write with abandon. Work on your novel, script, memoir, poetry, daily journal-whatever. As long as you're writingyou're doing it right.
The Pop Prompts book series also includes Pop Prompts: 200 Writing Prompts Inspiredby Popular Music and Pop Prompts For Swifties and Pop Prompts Showtunes. Each book is a collection of uniquewriting prompts designed to help you dig deep. Let the music be your muse.
POP PROMPTS FOR SWIFTIES is available now!
Pop Prompts For Swifties uses the songs of Taylor Swift as a source of endless inspiration.
Every writing prompt in this book is paired with one of Taylor's songs from the first "era" of her storytelling journey, from her debut album Taylor Swift (2006), to Fearless (2008), to Speak Now (2010), to Red (2012), and all the way through 1989(2014). Go find the song on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your music), let the song wash over you, then do the accompanying prompt. The idea is to let Taylor's music be your muse, and see where your muse takes you!
Whether you’re jotting down extemporaneous thoughts in a journal or you’re a published author looking for a way to shake up your writing routine, or anywhere in between, Pop Prompts For Swifties is for you. These writing prompts were designed to help you find your voice. Taylor's music will give you an extra dose of inspiration.
Don't be fooled by the title.
There are actually more than 99 writing prompts in these pages. Every prompt includes multiple questions, laying out plenty of emotional terrain for you to write about.
If you aren’t a die-hard Swiftie, you're among the lucky ones who get to discover Taylor’s music while getting into a writing groove. But you don’t even have to think of yourself as a writer to do these writing prompts. Anyone can use them as a tool for self-expression and reflection.
Inspiration is only a song away. Get POP PROMPTS FOR SWIFTIES here.
Put on your favorite Taylor Swift album, pick a prompt, and start writing!
DISCLAIMER: This book is meant for educational, scholarship, and research purposes. By taking a critical look at the themes in Taylor Swift’s work, we aim to inspire writers to create their own unique works of personal writing and fiction. Writers using this book are encouraged to research their own hearts and psyches in order to become scholars of their inner selves. Song titles are referenced in the spirit of Fair Use and readers should seek out and purchase Taylor Swift’s music on their own as a supplement to the original writing prompts in this book. Taylor Swift has no involvement with this book. The use of her name is merely descriptive and should not be interpreted as a sign of endorsement.
It’s time to make your writing pop.
Award-winning screenwriter, playwright, and teacher Erik Patterson has crafted a book of writing prompts unlike any other. Pop Prompts uses popular music to awaken your creative spirit. Each writing prompt poses a question that will get you thinking more deeply about yourself and the world around you. Read the prompt, listen to the song, then let go...and let your subconscious take over. These writing prompts will help you explore who you are. They will also spark new creative projects. Answer the questions in this book honestly – allow yourself to be vulnerable – and pop! The ideas will begin to flow. As long as you’re writing you’re doing it right.
Find your writing voice, then let yourself sing. But don’t just listen to us, listen to writers who’ve used Pop Prompts:
"The hardest thing to find as a writer is inspiration – and that's what Pop Prompts gives you! The book is chock full of smart, engaging, clever writing prompts that seriously motivate you to get words on the page." – Amber Benson, author of The Witches of Echo Park
"Pop Prompts is the book you've been waiting for. Erik will get you writing. He will pull that idea from you that you thought you'd lost forever." – Liza Palmer, author of Nowhere but Home
“When I’ve looked at a draft so many times I want to puke, I turn to Erik’s prompts. It never fails to breathe fresh life into my work.” – Ashley Quach, creator of Deck the Halls (with Matrimony!)
“Erik’s prompts unlock my writerly brain like nothing else! They get those words flowing without fear – and ultimately drive me to uncover deeper truths about both my work and myself. Brilliant!” – Sarah Kuhn, author of the Heroine Complex series
“Fun, engaging and surprising! Erik’s way of teasing out the creative gems in you is masterful. This book is a resource I’ll continue to utilize for a long, long time.” – Keiko Agena, author of No Mistakes: A Perfect Workbook for Imperfect Artists
Who Needs Pop Prompts?
Everyone
Do therapeutic journaling.
Generate creative ideas.
Start your day by focusing your thoughts.
De-stress at the end of the day.
Screenwriters, Novelists, Playwrights
Develop and deepen your characters.
Create character backstories.
Brainstorm scene ideas.
Singers, Songwriters, Musicians
Tap into your deepest emotions to find song ideas.
Write heartfelt, honest lyrics.
Poets & Other Artists
Experiment with your own personal artistic style.
Play around with how you use language.
Social Media Creators
Practice being vulnerable.
Find authentic stories to share with your audience.
Clarify your beliefs and feelings about the world.
Teachers
Awaken your students’ creativity and inspire them to write.