Inclination to write and sing (8)
I believe the answer is:
penchant
'inclination' is the definition.
(a penchant for something is an inclination for it)
'write and sing' is the wordplay.
'write' becomes 'pen' (synonyms).
'and' says to put letters next to each other.
'sing' becomes 'chant' (chanting is a kind of singing).
'pen'+'chant'='PENCHANT'
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for penchant that I've seen before include "Inclination; taste" , "Inclination, bent" , "Strong liking, inclination" , "Leaning towards or liking for" , "Predilection, preference" .)