The clangor of battle echoes in the hot, volcanic air, as stalwart Lothgar fends off a flurry of sword strokes from the hulking draconoid before him. Malvashtarr, the mutant half-man/half-dragon towers above Lothgar, with tendrils of smoke wafting from his draconian nostrils, as his scaly muscles ripple with his next sword thrust. The incoming blade smashes into Lothgar’s shield and is batted aside, as mighty Lothgar swings his own broadsword in an overhand arc, towards the nine foot tall monster’s chest. The ancient broadsword strikes Malvashtarr’s breastplate and the sword’s blade shatters on impact. As the sundered shards of his sword fall, seemingly in slow motion, the hope flickers and begins to fade from the hero’s eyes. The sword of his father, and his father’s father before him, was no more…and Lothgar, defender of the land, finds himself unarmed in the face of doom. “Del fortuitus retractum anon. De posterium es Malvashtarr” snarls the draconoid in his own tongue (Translation: “Your fortunes have abandoned you. Your back is Malvashtarr’s” or possibly “Your luck has run out. Your arse is mine” exact translation of these ancient languages is most difficult to be precise). “Nay, my wyrm tongued foe. Methinks thou art mistaken!” shouts Lothgar, as he steps forward with a swift, hard kick to the monster’s groin. The sickening crunch of the draconoid’s groin, belied the damage the creature suffered, as his serpentine eyes flared and then narrowed. With a hearty lurch forward, Lothgar bashes his metal shield into the creature, driving him back and over the edge of the cliff, to plunge down into the lava below. Having vanquished his foe, the warrior turns from the volcanic heat boiling up from the depths below and faces the members of this forum. Casting his broken sword and battered shield to the ground, he raises a pair of mailed hands to remove his horned helmet. His long brown hair cascades about his armored shoulders, perfectly framing his fine drawn face and finely groomed mustache and goatee. “Hail and salutations, my friends. I am Lothgar, slayer of men, lover of women, eater of fast food and writer of cheesy adventure stories.” Calls out the victorious warrior, as he tucks his helmet under his right arm. “Born in the 1960s, I suspect that I be of higher antiquity than your average forum member.” Begins the broad shouldered soldier as he gives a friendly wave to the others reading this post. “My interest in writing stems from my childhood fascination with the works of such notable scribes as J.R.R. Tolken, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Moorcock, Ed Greenwood and E. Gary Gygax.” Continues Lothgar, as he absent mindedly rubs the bruise on his neck, a parting gift from the recently slain draconoid. “My areas of interest tend to be High Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Military War Stories and comedy. My hobbies also include role-playing games (Alas, goode Lothgar hast been playing Dungeons & Dragons since the 1970s) and movies.” He says. “Writing is more of a hobby with me, as I have little interest in getting published or earning a living by it.” He smiles. “Most important of all, I’d like to extend a gracious greeting to all my new friends in these forums” he intones with a deep, sweeping bow.
Hello Lothgar, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
