re: Trading Puts and Calls

I wrote puts on 2 stocks I was willing to hold long. I made a little bit of money on one and broke even on the other - but I strictly wrote puts, near the money, pure long position stuff (i.e., I was okay taking the stock if the put was exercised).

You will want to learn how to do straddles to protect you from unexpected fluctuations, though, if you want to really get into it - you can still make money if you're right on you price points, but straddles act as an insurance policy.