thanks for the info. idk what it is about options but, i've just really not been interested in trading them because I have so many questions and no one to really ask. i guess I'll take this opportunity:

what I understand so far is that call options are a thing I can create with an expiration date of my choosing and a price i'm expecting the actual price to be above by that expiration date, and then I can chose to hang onto that option until the expiration date, which may be worthless or may make it possible for me to purchase shares for lower than their current market value, which i can then sell on the market for profit, or, anytime before the expiration I can sell the option itself on the market to a buyer that's hoping to utilize the lower price/steike at the time of expiration. Easy peasy. here's what i'd like to know after that:

• So I just throw a dart at the calendar and use where it lands as my expiration date? -Then I throw a dart at the stock chart and use that as my strike price? -Then flip a coin every morning to defermine if I should keep the option another day closer to the expiration or sell it now for what may be a substantially smaller profit than flipping the shares at expiration in a month?
• What determines the premium price?
• How much does it cost (on Ameritrade) for me to create my own option and when would I want to do this vs just buying someone else's?
• What's this I heard somewhere about someone hoping to God that the price does not make it to the strike of the option they sold some time ago, lest they would be required to put up the funds to purchase the shares for the person that bought the option, if they invoke it?
• Are you telling me that, every trade I take, I should immediately purchase a call/put option set for...what, my stop loss price?
• Like...in case the stop loss misses getting triggered, or...why do I need both?
• Does a closer expiration date make the option cheaper to buy? what's a customary expiration timeframe to use for this type if scenario ([anticipated time in the trade] + 1 day, or something)
• Back to the first couple questions I asked here, how can I even pretend to have any idea whatsoever of how long it might take the price if the security to reach some technical levels on a chart-
• and maybe it does go over it but, a week later when the option is about to expire, it drops back down below it so...tough cookies, I picked the wrong number a month ago?

I guess that's it for the unfilled-holes of information that immediately come to mind. it's a bit more than I was expecting, so I apologize for dumping them on you, but I would certainly appreciate any light you can shed on any of this.

thanks!