Benjamin McEvoy

Essays on writing, reading, and life

The Second Month of Marathon Training

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If you told me two months ago that I’d run twelve miles in two hours, I wouldn’t have believed you. Nor would anybody who knew me. But that’s exactly what I did this week. I’ve gone from never running more than ten minutes at a wheeze-filled pace to smashing a decent time for what’s almost […]

How to Prepare for the ELAT

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Sitting the English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT) was one of the most nerve-wracking parts of my Oxford University admissions process.  The Oxford interviews made me quake with anxiety, but they were basically pleasant conversations to see if the tutors and you would be a good fit for the next three years.  The interviews are focused […]

Babbel vs Rocket vs LanguagePod101 vs LingQ Review (2020)

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When it comes to learning a new language for the first time, the choice of language learning options online are overwhelming. The biggest hurdle to overcome is just getting started. But you obviously want to get started with the best material. Inferior material poorly presented can hinder your language learning before you either start and […]

26 Ways to Defeat Writer’s Block (Advice from 10 Great Authors)

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Writer’s block. Most writers encounter it at some point in their career. But who better to learn how to overcome writer’s block from than some of the most successful writers publishing today?  26 Ways to Defeat Writer’s Block: A MasterClass in Writing These lessons in defeating writer’s block come from Neil Gaiman, James Patterson, Dan […]

February-March TBR: What Books I’m Reading This Month

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Reading a book a week is a significant commitment when you pick big difficult books. That pacing requires reading 67 pages a day to finish The Grapes of Wrath, 47 pages a day to finish Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and 60 pages a day to finish The Age of Alexander. When you read properly, taking notes, […]

You Will Know Me By My Sacrifice

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You will know me by my sacrifice.  This is what the biblical story of Doubting Thomas teaches us. Jesus rises from the dead and returns to his disciples. Not until Thomas places his fingers into the wound on Christ’s side does he believe his eyes. We are all Doubting Thomas. But we all have the […]

The First Month of Marathon Training

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Five glasses of Prosecco later and I’d signed up to my first marathon. In four-and-a-half months’ time.  Forget the fact that in the past year I’d ran outside a total of three times, each less than twenty minutes. And the year before that? A total of zero times. A record I upheld for close to […]

How to Build Powerful Habits in 2020

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We are what we habitually do. We’re our habits and our actions. We are not our thoughts or feelings.  You might think of yourself as a good person. You don’t wish anyone overt harm. But if you don’t habitually do good things, you are not a good person. Most people aren’t good. They aren’t particularly […]

How To Make 2020 Your Best Reading Year Yet

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The new year is truly underway. I’ve held off publishing anything “habits” or “resolutions” articles to avoid the kind of people who set big goals purely for short-term dopamine hits. The New Year’s resolution setters have all abandoned their gym and library memberships by now, so let’s talk about how you can have your best […]