Be This the End?

Or merely a new beginning?

Dearest Reader,

It is with a heavy heart that I announce Ye Olde Tyme News is taking an indefinite break.

Since starting YOTN in 2019 as a fun little side project to mess around on Instagram, I have had 2 children, 4 different jobs, and bought a house. Oh yeah, and there was also a little plague in there somewhere. My responsibilities and the complexities of life have increased dramatically, but the time available in a day has remained the same.

As of this writing, Ye Olde Tyme News has 1,455 subscribers, and I am thankful for every single one of you foolhardy knaves. But at no time has it ever had more than 20 paid subscribers. It’s not that I ever expected to make money from it, it’s just that, when it comes to priorities, it has become harder to justify spending 10 hours or more per week on work that only brings in enough money annually to cover a couple trips to the grocery store. (Again, I have 2 children, and they eat a lot). While I still love writing this strange publication, I need to accept that maybe it’s time to move on, or at least to make a change.

Since moving to Substack in December 2020, Ye Olde Tyme News has published 390 articles. And there’s many more headlines, cartoons, and such that I’ve posted on Instagram. That’s a lot of work, and I think it’s time for me to reassess what’s important in life, as a writer, as a husband, and most importantly as a father. (I would say as an employee, but I kinda hate my regular job so that one’s a wash.)

What does this mean, in bullet point format?

1. I will be pausing paid subscriptions. If you’re a paid subscriber, you will no longer be charged. Please let me know if you experience any issues with this and Substack is still dipping into your Royal Coffers.

2. You will not receive regular emails from Ye Olde Tyme News in the coming months. I may end up publishing a story or two, but expect these to be much less frequent, at least for the next few months.

3. The Substack page will remain online. If you want to read old stories or reference Ye Olde Tyme News for your scholarly works (seriously? What kind of scholar are you anyway?) you can still read them on the website here. My personal favorites are the short stories, although no one ever accused me of having good taste.

What Cometh Next?

I haven’t fully made up my mind yet. I rarely do.

After a few months, once I really start missing The King in my life, I’ll probably start writing again. But at this point I don’t know exactly what form that will take. I want to write something that makes people laugh and also makes them think; something that is both satirical and funny but not cynical; something that is optimistic and human, even if occasionally viewed through a disconcerting lens. I don’t know if I’ve achieved any of those things yet or ever will, but now is as a good a time as ever to take a step back and look at this all from a distance.

Maybe Ye Olde Tyme News will transform into a totally different type of blog/newsletter/whatever this is. Maybe I’ll do more cartoons, or shift the focus towards longer form content like historical essays and short stories.

Or maybe I’ll stumble upon some long lost family fortune and be able to quit my day job to take up writing full time from the sun-kissed meadow beside my palace.

The possibilities are endless, but for now, my plan is to take an indefinite hiatus. I plan on taking my sweet damn time and writing at a leisurely pace. I might even try my hand at submitting to some “real” publications.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll stay subscribed and join me for the day His Majesty again bestows upon me the Great Quill of Wisdom, leaving me no choice but to spread His Word throughout the Realm once more.

One never knows when the muse will come calling. I don’t know where she’ll take me, but I submit myself to her will.

Parting Thoughts

I genuinely appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read Ye Olde Tyme News, comment on posts, share it with friends, and recommend it on their own publications. Even if you only read one story then said “this is stupid” and smashed the unsubscribe button with your war hammer. For those that are reading this, I hope you got as much joy and laughter out of it as I did.

It feels weird. YOTN has been such a big part of my life for the past 4 years. Now that this quest is over, I don’t really know what to do, or how to say goodbye. I suppose the only thing to do is put one foot in front of the other, or one finger in this case since I’m writing on a keyboard, and keep my eyes on the horizon for the next quest to arise.

When it does, I hope you’ll be there to join me. 

And with that, my friends, I bid you adieu. Until our paths cross again, may thy days be filled with laughter and — as always — fawning obedience to The King. 

Fore’er thine,

Jan Lionsnest

Ye Royal Scrivener of Letters

That’s not me riding off into the sunset. I don’t have a horse. I’m off to the left changing diapers.