This is a question I'm curious about too. I think onehunna is right about it being hard to find the right audience. A piece of writing can be like a song in many ways, but one that comes to mind is that if a potential reader or listener isn't ready/in the mood to take it in, they either won't, or they won't like it. Writing can be tough for a lot of reasons, but it's also tough because the writer typically isn't there to get instant feedback from the reader's reactions.

Right now I'm still trying to figure out how to manage the whole internet thing too. On my site (sites?) I mainly show drafts of stuff that I'm working on. What I am kind of stuck on though, is that I am also involved in a collaborative writing effort and I am undecided whether or not to use those drafts. Unfortunately, most of my recent output has been for that project.

_refugee_ turned me on to Duotrope, which is a service that sorts various markets for writers to submit to. I haven't checked it out much, but it does look like a pretty useful tool. The other contests and publications I have been submitting to, I learned about by talking to friends who are also involved in writing.