Today I’m promoting Issue 16 of New Escapologist, a print journal run by Robert Wringham all about the art and science of getting out of things.

Why, you might ask, am I promoting it?

Simple.

I’m a New Escapologist columnist.  And inside Issue 16 you can find my latest column.

Speaking of which:

When I filed my column for the previous issue six months ago, Robert emailed me back a couple of days later. 

He suggested a few edits and also included this humdinger in his reply: 

You start a lot of sentences with And or But.  

That's okay sometimes, especially in a punchline, but you overuse them like a hooligan.

Robert has written 7 books.  He also writes a monthly newsletter, various articles for New Escapologist and he’s a regular blogger.

So he clearly knows his onions when it comes to writing.

And as I cast my eye over my previous column, I could see he was right.  There was a generous smattering of “ands” and “buts” gracing the start of many a sentence.

Thing is, I can use “and” and “but” as much as I like in my daily emails.  

They match my shorter, snappier style. 

But journals like New Escapologist are different.  The tone, the overall style, the content and even the fact that New Escapologist is a print magazine all set it apart. 

And if I tell you that guiding lights like Alain de Botton & Will Self have previously written for New Escapologist, you’ll probably get the idea. 

If scrolling through one of my emails is like chugging a flat white then gently turning the crisp pages of New Escapologist is like savouring a classy glass of Rioja.

Which means I need to change things up and channel my inner Emily Brontë when I write for New Escapologist.

Too many “ands” and “buts” ain’t gonna cut the mustard.

And I enjoy the challenge.  It’s fun to write in a different way, with a different style, for a different audience.

Not just because it helps me develop my writing chops.  

But also because I can try out different ways of articulating my message.

Whatever or wherever I write (my emails, LinkedIn posts, my new book etc), the theme is always the same.  I’m not branching out into politics, dipping my toe into fiction or joining the merry band of Substack philosophers pondering the latest zeitgeists and the unholy state of the nation.

I’m staying in my lane.

I write about who we are, where our experience of life comes from and how anyone who wants to can get more out of life.

And New Escapologist is no exception. 

So if you read my column in Issue 16 you'll see a different wrapper, but the sweet in the centre will look familiar.

If you'd like to pick up a copy:

https://newescapologist.co.uk/product/issue-16/

 - Tom