Don’t worry, you won’t have to write a book in its entirety!
This prompt focuses on a single aspect of a book.
Take fifteen minutes to “free style,” or jot down some random thoughts that pop into your head, on the song prompt topic Write A Book.
We’ve also provided a chord progression to get you started.
If you haven’t done this before, we’ve provided a step-by-step to help you use the prompts and work through the creation of a song.
Song Prompt: Write A Book
- Write a song about some aspect of a book.
It can be:
- The dedication of the book
- A single chapter in a book
- The whole book as a sequence, e.g., chapter 1, chapter 2
- A page or a component like the cover, a paragraph or a sentence
- A genre or type of book, e.g., the good book, a comic book, a notebook, a scrap book
- Who is the main character what’s their connection to “the book”?
- What is the drama associated with the “book” – i.e., the tension?
- Why is the book so important anyway? Does that create some of the tension/drama?
- Is the story being told to someone, being remembered, or taking place now?
- Where does all of this take place?
- Is the place warm, cold, a vacation spot, a quiet place, someone’s room, a bar? Be sure to describe it in detail!
Prompt Chord Progression:
Key = D
Verse: D – Em – G – A (I-II-IV-V)
Chorus: C – Bm – G (bVII-IV-IV)
Need more chord progression to choose from? Chart and common chord progressions.
What’s Next?
Step 1: write for 15 minutes on one of the items (or similar) above
Step 2: create a song idea from the above
Step 3: decide on your song plot and key song plot elements
Step 4: use the chord progression to write around
Step 5: use a song you like to write a ghost song off of if you’re having difficulty with a melody line
Great Example of a Song About A Book!
Elvis Costello “Everyday I Write The Book”
More Song Prompts:
Song Prompt: How Was Your Weekend?
How Was Your Weekend? We hear it all the time on Monday at work – “How was your weekend?” So why not make it a prompt? Take 2 – 5 minutes and quickly jot down what happened to you during your weekend, or last weekend, or the past several days. Make the […]
Song Prompt: Write A Book
Don’t worry, you won’t have to write a book in its entirety! This prompt focuses on a single aspect of a book. Take fifteen minutes to “free style,” or jot down some random thoughts that pop into your head, on the song prompt topic Write A Book. We’ve also provided a chord progression to get […]
Song Prompt: Song Plot Roulette
Get Started With Song Plot Roulette I thought we’d use some lists I’ve compiled from several places and categorized to give you a quick selection grid for key song elements. Go step-by-step using the grids below, and you should have a pretty good plot outline for your lyric by the time you’ve hit the […]
Create A New Song Idea: Twist On A Cliche
A cliche phrase can be a great song prompt. The trick is to give it a twist by changing a word, using it in a way in a line, or taking a new perspective on the cliche by framing it in a unique way. We’ll give you a list of cliches so you can write […]
Song Prompt: Finding Like Objects
We all collect stuff, which is why finding like objects is so easy! Objects are powerful elements in our lives. We save them because they have significance for us. This finding like objects song prompt is a way to not only focus on a single object, but find the connections between objects – to you. […]
Song Prompt: Start With A Simile
Do you have a song that starts with a simile? Probably not – most of us don’t. So, let’s add one to your song catalogue. More Articles: Creating Effective Similes In Songs Similes As Song Ideas
