Benjamin McEvoy

Essays on writing, reading, and life

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Billy Collins Teaches Reading and Writing Poetry MasterClass Review

May 7, 2019 By Ben McEvoy

Poetry has been a huge part of my life. A part that I’ve sadly lost touch with until I took the Billy Collins Poetry MasterClass. It was poetry that kicked off my insomnia in my teenage years. I’d spend half the night reading and writing poetry. I circulated it to friends, wrote love poems for my girlfriends, and […]

Filed Under: Books, Education, Writing

David Lynch Teaches Creativity And Film MasterClass Review

April 9, 2019 By Ben McEvoy

david lynch teaches creativity and film masterclass review

The David Lynch MasterClass is freaking weird, man. But you knew that going into it, didn’t you? Would you expect anything less from the David Lynch who brought you the masterpieces of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, Mulholland Drive, Eraserhead, and so many more? I’ve already taken a bunch of the film masterclasses thanks […]

Filed Under: Education, Writing

Neil Gaiman Teaches the Art of Storytelling MasterClass Review

February 4, 2019 By Ben McEvoy

neil gaiman teaches the art of storytelling masterclass review

Neil Gaiman’s MasterClass is the one I’ve been most excited about since it was announced. Neil has spoken endlessly in interviews about the art of storytelling. He’s always been an incredibly compelling and motivating speaker. And yet I was worried that Neil Gaiman’s MasterClass wouldn’t live up to the hype I’d built up in my […]

Filed Under: Books, Education, Writing

Reading Exercise of the Week #1: The Bradbury Trio

February 1, 2019 By Ben McEvoy

reading exercise of the week

Every day this week try to read: One short story One poem One essay The inspiration for this way of reading came from Ray Bradbury.  In his keynote address to The Sixth Annual Writers Symposium in 2001 and in his wonderful biography and meditation on the craft of writing, Zen in the Art of Writing, […]

Filed Under: Books, Writing

How To Write 500 Words a Day (Every Day, Without Fail)

January 19, 2019 By Ben McEvoy

how to write 500 words a day every day without fail

500 words a day is the minimum effective daily word count if you want to be a serious writer.  It’s low enough that you can hit it and quit it on days when you’re not feeling it. And it’s the perfect amount to grease the gears on the days you’re feeling like Stephen King (2,000 […]

Filed Under: Education, Writing

How to Use Deliberate Practice to Become a Better Writer

November 17, 2018 By Ben McEvoy

deliberate practice become better writer

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 […]

Filed Under: Education, Writing

10 Lessons Learned from Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (Review)

November 16, 2018 By Ben McEvoy

big magic elizabeth gilbert book review

I lost touch with my creativity this year. Then Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic helped me get it back.  I’m not the Eat Pray Love type. But I’ll give any of Gilbert’s fiction a go now. That’s how impressed I was with Big Magic, how profoundly it moved me, and the impact it had on relighting a dying creative […]

Filed Under: Books, Education, Writing

Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers MasterClass Review

November 6, 2018 By Ben McEvoy

I’m always impressed when I see a new MasterClass launch. But every so often there’s one that blows me away. Like the Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers MasterClass. It’s those classes that scare me. The classes where I didn’t even really know the teacher, nor cared about the subject, often turned out to be the […]

Filed Under: Books, Education, Writing

How to Get Millions of Views on Quora (and Upvotes and Comments)

October 17, 2018 By Ben McEvoy

how to get millions of views upvotes comments on quora

My first Quora post was in 2015. I was bored. Didn’t really know what Quora was, but saw a question about studying that I thought I could answer. It took me about 15 minutes to rattle off the answer. I left it. Forgot about it. Came back a few weeks later and was blown away […]

Filed Under: Education, Writing

Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing MasterClass Review

September 17, 2018 By Ben McEvoy

The Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing MasterClass is one of the most valuable, insightful, and enjoyable creative writing courses I have ever taken. That includes my writing classes at the University of Oxford.  If I weren’t already convinced, Margaret Atwood’s MasterClass would have confirmed it without a doubt: The MasterClass All Access Pass is hands down the […]

Filed Under: Books, Education, Writing

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Benjamin McEvoy

I write essays on great books, elite education, practical mindset tips, and living a healthy, happy lifestyle. I'm here to help you live a meaningful life.

Top Posts & Pages

  • 10 Books Of Poetry Every Literature Lover Will Treasure
    10 Books Of Poetry Every Literature Lover Will Treasure
  • How to Read the Complete Works of Shakespeare in a Year (Recommended Reading Order)
    How to Read the Complete Works of Shakespeare in a Year (Recommended Reading Order)
  • How to Get an Oxford University English Literature Education for Free
    How to Get an Oxford University English Literature Education for Free
  • 41 MasterClasses Ranked and Reviewed (What is the best MasterClass?)
    41 MasterClasses Ranked and Reviewed (What is the best MasterClass?)
  • 7 Lessons Learned From Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Book Review)
    7 Lessons Learned From Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (Book Review)
  • How to Read Crime and Punishment (10 Tips for Digesting Dostoyevsky)
    How to Read Crime and Punishment (10 Tips for Digesting Dostoyevsky)
  • How to Read Anna Karenina (10 Tips for Tackling Tolstoy)
    How to Read Anna Karenina (10 Tips for Tackling Tolstoy)
  • 18 Books Every 18-Year-Old Should Read (a.k.a. The Human Being Syllabus)
    18 Books Every 18-Year-Old Should Read (a.k.a. The Human Being Syllabus)
  • 8 Books That Will Deepen Your Love and Understanding of Shakespeare
    8 Books That Will Deepen Your Love and Understanding of Shakespeare
  • Stephen King's Top 10 Favourite Books
    Stephen King's Top 10 Favourite Books

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