This is YOUR DAILY WRITING PROMPT.
Welcome.
When I was 10, I saw Back to the Future and fell in love with Michael J. Fox. But I didn’t know how to express that, so when we walked out of the movie theater I told my mom “I want to do what he does.” She signed me up for an acting class. Flash forward ten years: I’m graduating from Occidental College with a theater degree (acting emphasis) and I realize I don’t love acting enough to pursue it as a career. I am allergic to the emphasis on appearance and I remember being specifically annoyed by the idea of always having to brush my hair for auditions. But I love telling stories, so I switch my career goal to writer, where my perpetually unkempt hair will not be a problem.
I started out as a playwright. My play One of the Nice Ones won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. All of my plays are available for production. If you want to read my plays, find them here. If you represent a regional theater, email me at erik@erikpatterson.org to request a copy of any of my plays. Theater led to film and TV work; with my writing partner Jessica Scott, I’ve written movies as diverse as Radio Rebel, Another Cinderella Story, Deep Blue Sea 2, eight Hallmark movies, and many others. You may know me from TikTok where I post a daily writing prompt. I also host writing sprints via Patreon.
What you get when you subscribe:
Subscribe to my Substack to get:
My twice-weekly newsletter full of writing prompts
8 journaling prompts and 8 fiction prompts in every newsletter
Creative inspiration & writing tips
Full access to publication archives (thousands of writing prompts!)
PAID SUBSCRIBERS: For just $5 a month, you get access to my gently-guided zoom writing sprints, which I host every Wednesday from 6-8pm PST and every Sunday from 12-2pm PST. Paid subscribers also get access to the comments on each post, where you can share writing you’ve done from my prompts. I read and reply to every comment.
The Pop Prompts book series.
While you’re here, check out my books of writing prompts. The Pop Prompts books use music as inspiration. Every prompt is paired with a song: you listen to the song, feel whatever emotions the song stirs within you, then read the corresponding writing prompt and write. You can use the prompts for therapeutic journaling or creative fiction writing, and all of the prompts can be done more than once. Reach out to me at erik@erikpatterson.org if you’re a teacher and want to purchase books for your class at a bulk discount.
There are five books in the series. Pop Prompts, Pop Prompts: the 90s, Pop Prompts For Swifties, More Eras: Pop Prompts For Swifties Volume 2, and Pop Prompts Showtunes.
What are people saying about 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 Family Reservations
“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
“If only this book were around when I was getting ready to write my book. Erik is the writing docent in your museum of stories and ideas. Read this book and let him help you gather your thoughts and get your mind moving.”
— Retta, author of So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y’all Don't Even Know
“Every life is flush with meaningful experiences, and man is it nice to have someone help us excavate them to create. Erik’s prompts pick up right where each of Taylor’s songs leave off—now it’s your turn!”
— Drew Seeley, actor, singer, songwriter
“Turn to any page in Pop Prompts, set your timer, and write. Settling in and writing without a plan, I mean truly letting your mind go like Erik advises, is the closest you'll come to God (whether or not you believe).”
— Andrea Askowitz, author of My Miserable, Lonely, Lesbian Pregnancy
“I loved flipping through to my fave Swift songs and getting creatively inspired by the suggestions of how to loosen up my own writing. Whether it’s to explore things in your work-in-progress, kick loose stuff in your personal life, or use in a classroom as a warm-up exercise, Erik’s playlist prompts help to elevate your writing game.”
— Cecil Castellucci, author of Shifting Earth
“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 the how and why of great musical theater storytelling.”
— Steven Levenson, writer, Dear Evan Hansen, 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
“What a treat. On a single page you get a perfectly distilled look at a song’s structure and function, followed by multiple angles and perspectives from which to approach that same song—getting your creativity, individuality, and emotional life fired up!”
— Rebecca Naomi Jones, actor and singer, Passing Strange and Oklahoma! on Broadway
“In musical theater, people break into song to express their innermost dreams, secrets, and desires. Erik’s prompts are rich in character and craft. He masterfully explores their structure from every angle, enabling the writer to unlock new levels of storytelling.”
— Nicole Parker, writer and actor, Wicked on Broadway
