Popular writer of score (8)
I believe the answer is:
inscribe
'score' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'popular writer' is the wordplay.
'popular' becomes 'in'.
'writer' becomes 'scribe' (scribe is a kind of writer**).
'in'+'scribe'='INSCRIBE'
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for inscribe that I've seen before include "Write; etch" , "Write or carve on something as a lasting record" , "autograph" , "Write or cut words into a surface" , "Put dedication into" .)