Benjamin McEvoy

Essays on writing, reading, and life

The Next Big Idea Club Review

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I’ve finally found my perfect subscription book club. I’ve been searching for a great book club for years and everything fell flat. But the Next Big Idea Club is everything I wanted in a book club. I can’t believe someone hasn’t already done a book club in this way before. I’d particularly love if someone […]

Carlos Santana Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar MasterClass Review

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The Tom Morello Guitar MasterClass was one of the most exhilarating and valuable MasterClasses in the catalogue. Not to mention one of the best online courses for guitar anywhere available. This is not just my opinion but the opinion of guitarist friends at all levels who have loved the class. So I couldn’t believe my […]

Oxford University Q&A (Common Questions Answered)

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I went on a Question and Answer spree over at Quora. The topic? Everything Oxford University. Common questions about studying to get into Oxford University, life at the institution, and life after. Got a question about the University of Oxford that I haven’t answered? Feel free to leave a comment and I’ll answer you as […]

Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring MasterClass Review

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I finally got around to the Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring MasterClass! Thanks to my All Access Pass, I have a nice backlog of classes to get through and the Hans Zimmer MasterClass was next up on my list!  I am not a composer or musician but I couldn’t resist getting stuck into the Hans […]

Where To Find Great Book Recommendations

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It’s hard to find really great book recommendations. Not because nobody’s giving them. But because there are too many. I’m personally subscribed to about fifty different book newsletters (a small slice of what’s available) and each newsletter typically comes with anywhere from 10-20 different book recommendations. Quick rough maths… Lets say 50 book recommendation newsletters […]

How To Read: Arthur Schopenhauer On Reading And Books

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You remember that scene from Good Will Hunting? The bar scene where Matt Damon’s character gives that creepy academic parrot an intellectual smackdown? It’s that kind of schooling I wish I’d been able to give a few students at Oxford. There was never any real thinking done in that institution of “education”. Every debate, discussion, […]

How To Sort Yourself Out (Understand Myself Review)

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I’m a neurotic, lazy, anally-retentive, emotionally volatile loner. At least according to my test results from Understand Myself. I’m also a compassionate, dominant, creative, intelligent daydreamer.  Again, not my words. It’s all in the 16-page report from Understand Myself. What is Understand Myself? Understand Myself is a 100-question personality self-assessment that compares your answers to […]

Lessons Learned from Expressing Gratitude Every Day for 14 Days

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Gurus love gratitude. Write in your gratitude journal every morning, they say. Namaste namaste namaste. Every day write 3 things you’re grateful for, they say. Namaste namaste namaste. Visualisations, affirmations, gratitude. Namaste namaste namaste. But does expressing gratitude actually work? I expressed gratitude every day for 14 days as part of a group challenge. If […]

How to Use Deliberate Practice to Become a Better Writer

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Your first million words are practice. You haven’t earned the right to be frustrated with your lack of creative success until you’ve clocked at least a million words of practice. You might hit gold somewhere in the middle of those million words. Your first novel might be a huge success. But it’s not likely. Show […]