Benjamin McEvoy

Essays on writing, reading, and life

James Patterson Teaches Writing MasterClass Review

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It took me a long time to sign up to the James Patterson Teaches Writing MasterClass. I signed up to the Aaron Sorkin MasterClass (loved it) and then the Werner Herzog MasterClass (loved it), and then recently the Shonda Rhimes Masterclass (loving it)… But I’m primarily a novelist. So why did I take two screenwriters’ and a […]

6 Exciting Goals For Energetic Writers

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There are tons of articles and guides out there detailing how to overcome writers’ block, how to boost your motivation to write, and how to increase your writing productivity when you’re in a slump. Feeling demotivated, despondent, deflated? No worries, the internet’s got you covered. But what about those times when you AREN’T suffering from […]

7 Questions Fiction Writers Can Answer To Improve Their Writing

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Now that I’ve got a few books under my belt, I have a pre-set checklist of questions that helps me take my shitty first draft to a somewhat respectable second draft. Then, after patting myself on the back one moment and crying in despair the next, I use the same set of questions to take […]

Shonda Rhimes Writing For Television MasterClass Review (Week 3)

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This Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing For Television MasterClass review contains affiliate links, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking one of my links. The third week of the Shonda Rhimes Writing For Television MasterClass was the best week so far. I’m less than half way through the […]

Books I’m Reading & Loving In April 2017

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2017 is easily the busiest year of my life. I could have completely abandoned reading. But I didn’t wanna be one of those people who says they’re “too busy” to do something. We can always make time for the stuff that’s important to us. Plus I made a vow to never stray from my love […]

Shonda Rhimes MasterClass Review (Week 2)

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I’m now on the second week of the Shonda Rhimes MasterClass for television screenwriting and things are really heating up. After a very pleasant primer in week one, we’re getting into the good stuff (in my opinion). What does the “good stuff” look like for me? Well, as someone who is primarily writing novels, the […]

The Best Courses From The Teaching Company (Great Courses Plus Review)

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Netflix for nerds is here and it’s called The Great Courses Plus. This new lecture streaming service might just be the best thing I’ve ever discovered on the internet (no exaggeration). My eyes are bleary and my head is whirring with exciting information from disparate realms of academia thanks to long nights of binge-learning. But […]

How To Read Big Difficult Books (Plus Recommended Reading List)

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I’ve read my fair share of the heavyweights. From Plutarch to Proust, Conrad to Camus, and Dante to Dostoyevsky. I used to struggle with the “greats”. After a few pages, I’d close the book with a headache and poor sense of self-worth. Was I stupid? Maybe I needed to return to Dr. Seuss and retake my entire […]