Titus Welch

Chapter 1: Tried by Fire and found Pure             It was no place for a god. But at the pinnacle of the ancient stairs, past the two priests who stood like sentinels on the bottommost step, and still farther past the point where blackness concealed all, hid just that, our god. Atop an uncountable number of steps, Tsor watched us from the blackness with penetrating eyes. Eyes that beheld centuries of mankind’s birthings and dyings, now watched our quarrel unfold at the bottom of those long and darkened steps. Eyes ever watching. Ears ever hearing. Mind ever judging.             Twenty-three of us huddled at the bottom of the steps in the light of two solitary torches, seven chairman, seven jugars, seven archpriests, Marcell’s wife, and myself, the prentice. Asiron stepped to the front of the group with back to the stairs and the sentinel priests. Asiron pushed the...

I dont think I've written a poem in probably 15 years since I learned what I Haiku was. But, the date mandated something from the heart. The store held cards that failed to say what I feel, so rather than pay, I attempted the improbable, I wrote a love poem. Here goes... A garden to walk in. A God to walk with. A man near perfect. God said, “Not yet. It is no good for you to be alone. Take a rest, while I take your bone. You’ve yet to see what I can do. See this helper I made, she completes you. Under your feet I have placed the world, By your side I have placed this girl. Her beauty beyond your simple mind. Unguard yourself, love you will find. Her bright eyes will leave you in awe. Your cold heart her warm arms thaw. Hard lines have framed you out of the clay, Her soft hands smooth your roughness away. She is more than a treasure to your eye, She’s the greatest gift from on high. What more should be said of this gift I give. Man, please love her as lon...

So it's been a little while, an update is in order. Sand & Cinder was submitted to Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, it was only submitted two weeks ago so I dont expect a response any time soon. Which is all well and good so I can focus on others things, like writing. I've been revising The Oren Letters: Demos. The first 4 or 5 chapters were scrapped, that is they were removed, the events they detail still inform the decisions of the characters still though. I re-wrote the very first chapter, which I now love! It has me very excited. By scrapping the first 4 chapters the story gets into the action right away. I've noticed with my writing, I tried too hard to have every little thing explained so the reader doesnt feel lost, that is lost in the mundanes areas, the obvious gaps in storyline I want the reader to fill in are a different story. Anyway, I am getting excited about the Oren Letters again. Im reviewing the pacing and have some plans to spic...

We have an obnoxious malti-poo at home. She’s maybe eleven pounds and she’s high strung most of the time. By my own admission, I don’t walk her as often as I should. She’s slowly gained weight, and isn't as healthy as she once was. In the rare occasion that I take her out, she pulls so much at her leash that she nearly chokes herself. Wheezes sigh out of her as she fights for her way, trying to direct the actions of a man nearly twenty times her size, and probably at least that much more intelligent too. Usually, a mile down the road she remembers her role and falls into stride between my wife and I. I can’t blame her for her forgetfulness though, because I’ve given her so few chances to remember. I haven’t trained her how to walk with me. Adam hears God walking in the garden, and cowers at God’s presence, he knew what he’d done. He knew the relationship they once had, Adam had sullied. Enoch, though, walked with God. And he was not, for God took him. Enoch knew how to walk ...

If I had a million dollars, I’d… For most of my life, I’ve finished that statement with “do nothing.” Late nights watching tv or movies, late mornings spent sleeping the day away, maybe even entire days in bed, whatever I wanted. It sounds so appealing. The closest I’ve ever been to being without responsibility in adulthood is on vacation. Specifically, a vacation I took last year that lasted nearly a week. I spent the week with my wife and extended family, we played games, spent time outside, laughed, joked, and were in a general state or merriment. Yet, I had this discontent welling inside that was unaffected by relaxation, laughter, food, drink, or good company. I felt this was as close to having my millions and consequently, being freed of the mundanities associated with the frets of attaining money and responsibility as I would ever be. It was terrible. All of creation week’s events, it would seem, have come to a culmination, or their purpose, when we see God craft the garden. ...

I have just applied the last coat of finish to my hand-built kitchen table. I have great plans for the table. I plan to have dinners with my family there. I plan to laugh with my family there. I plan to play games with my family there. I plan to watch my family grow there. Yes, I have great plans for that table. It took many hours of work, more hours than I intended, but it was worth the work if my plans were to be fulfilled. If I had no need of the table, no plans for it, it would not be. I would have never found the last few hours to sand and re-apply additional coats. I would have never found the time to distress the table to have the proper appearance of age. I would have never found the time to put two boards together, much less buy the lumber. But it did all happen, and that was because I had a plan, a purpose for that table. Five days of labor passed. Matter had first appeared no more than a week ago. It was the beginning, and someone had a plan. Someone had intent, and purpose...

Received my first rejection today! Fantasy & Science Fiction mailed back a rejectiong for my novella submission, Sand and Cinder . It's one of those things that you just know is going to happen, its part of the job. I can't fully expect that in my first year of writing that I would get published, I hoped that, and it may still happen, but I'm not surprised to receive my first rejection. Its just a matter of pushing forward. The rejection letter said, "This story couldn't hold my interest, I'm afraid." Of the few people who have read it, one has said it started slow, so there could easily be some truth to what they've said. There are plenty of stories I ahve read because someone has lauded its quality, and I didnt finish simply because I lost interest, so I'm not taking it to heart as not every good story will grab everyone's attention. So I've sent it out to Intergalactic Medicine Show. They ask for at least 3 months for a response. ...