If you just buy and hold, you can see your portfolio going sideways for bluechips and down for speccies. Looking at graphs, there have been plenty of opportunities to range trade.
I agree with camden, too many people have hope as a mainstay of their shares strategy. It must be struck from your trading plan.
There are plenty of motley fool articles to read. Be warned, that it is a vehicle to snare you into a subscription. Shares are too complicated and dangerous for the common person, you need our excellent guidance to make money. There are however, some excellent ideas embedded in their articles.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/motley-fool
is where you can find some more of their articles.