There's a big difference between talking about writing and actually writing, and discussions like this are moot until you can write in volume. You'd be surprised how quickly the well dries up when you don't have much experience. I'm mostly over that, however; I have enough story outlines and ideas stacked up to last me months.

I agree that learning how to write in BDSM writing helps with other writing. I also think that learning how to write in BDSM is a hell of a lot more fun, because mediocre BDSM is a lot more meaningful than mediocre normal fiction.

I've never been paid for my writing, but it isn't something you get a 'salary' for. In general, writing equates to far far less than minimum wage.