practice, practice, patience, and more practice. Some people it comes very easy to (I was very picked on at the Viking store!) and some people get frustrated with it. Just don't give up. Try and imagine you're writing on a chalkboard... the thread is your chalk. :) Soft music to relax you (or whatever genre you desire)... a cup of tea or other soothing beverage handy... try making some loopy designs... if that is hard, then try jagged cuts, my hubby calls them broken glass... then after you get comfy with those, smooth out the points into curves. Try writing your name... try a big circle then run it inward and inward until you run out of room (big spiral)... Whatever you want to "paint" with your thread, just do it :)