You can see some simple styles in the HairStyles Gallery.

I usually recommend that when first starting out, use a hair friendly hairtie to put the hair into a ponytail, then twist the hair into a bun.  The hairstick can then be woven through the hairtie to secure it quite well when your hair isn't quite long enough to hold the bun well by itself.

If you are gentle (as you always should be), hairsticks will not damage your hair.

A few "tricks" to remember:
1.  Be sure the hairsticks are smooth and do not have any rough edges.
2.  The point of the hairsticks should be rounded enough to part the hair easily and without breaking or stretching the hair.
3.  Do not twist the hair too tight.  You should NOT look like you just had a facelift!  LOL!
4.  If twisting your hair when wet or damp, be VERY gentle and do not over-twist.  Your hair is very stretchy when wet.  Over twisting could cause breakage.  I usually take my bun down a few times to let the hair relax and dry a bit when I have put it up wet or dry.

LOL - I hear you on the drying.  The longest my hair has taken to dry was one week.  I had kept it in a bun the whole time, and it NEVER dried.  I had to wash it before it dried.  I'm always afraid my hair will mildew or worse, so I make a point of taking my bun down, shaking out my hair to let it dry a bit, then put it back up.  Even then it can take two days to finally dry out!

here's a tip for drying hair!  btw, my hair is long, thick, and took hours to dry (down!) before I figured this out.
  You know how your hair gathers in clumps when its wet?  Well, after you wash it and squeez it good in a towel, stand in front of a fan or air conditioner or something and use your fingers to separate the clumps.  The smaller clumps you separate it into, the faster it will dry.  It takes me about 15 minutes.  Works wonders, though-by the time I'm finished, my hair looks half dry and only takes about 2-3 hours to dry completely!

My hair is so straight and silky that I need to put up hairstyles that are firm and dense. I always put pins or sticks in with a wiggling motion to prevent snagging and breaking hairs.

When I use hairsticks, I take my hair in a pony tail and twist it (gently!) until it starts to curl up on it's own.  Then I make the bun and put the sticks through.

As for drying, I try to wash my hair at night... once it's all detangled, if you run a comb through it every now and again to seperate the hair (a fine-toothed comb) it'll dry faster.  Just a thought.

Hairstick saved my hair today, too!  I did a weekend of conditioning and treatment on my hair, and it feels good, but isn't looking so hot left down today.  So, after a myriad of hair accessories, I fell back on the good ol' sticks to do the job...looks sophisticated!