how to make jerky

just wanted to blog about my first ever attempt...it was a very spur of the moment thing...i have been wondering how to preserve meats and thought you needed brines and smoker/dehydrater...but after stumbling around i found that people do it in their ovens...so i said wth...ill try it...now mind...

Can anyone give me some advice on this? Is it alright if I just put the jerky over a small fire in the sun? How long would I need to keep the jerky in the sun?