Today I’m promoting a Kickstarter for New Escapologist. 

New Escapologist is a print journal run by author and comedian Rob Wringham, all about the art and science of getting out of things.

Why, you might ask, am I promoting it?

Simple. I've been a New Escapologist columnist for the last couple of years.

When I filed my column for Issue 15, Rob emailed me back two days later. 

He suggested a few edits but 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.

***

Rob has written 7 books. He also writes a monthly newsletter, he writes for (and edits) 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 more than 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're my emails after all. And 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 when 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 and hallowed 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 proverbial 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 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 our minds, who we are, where our experience of work & life comes from and how anyone can get more out both.

And New Escapologist is no exception. 

If you'd like to pre-order Issue 18 or subscribe to a bundle of future issues, here's where to go next:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rubberwringham/new-escapologist/