This may sound like a dumb question, but I'm still baffled. I tried a year ago. I entered a contest at www.poetry.com. Let's just say it's really a gimmick to make money for that company. Now I'm still trying to think of a way that maybe my talents can be recognized, and one day realize my fantasy of being a "paid writer." My talents could be utilized in two different areas: 1.) My technical writing skills, such as my tutorials. 2.) My poetry (probably won't get rich off of that) I'd be most interested in the experiences of other writers. Have you been published? What places have you tried, and were you satisfied by the results?