You can practice on a piece of vinyl and just keep wiping it off, you could purchase the alphabet press to trace over, or you can print off whatever you want the cake to say in a font on your computer and use the pinprick method of transferring it on your cake, then pipe over it.
Hi! I type up whatever I need to write in a clear font in Word, then I print it out and use piping gel to transfer it onto the cake. Then I just take a bigger tip and trace over the piping gel. That has been working for me, because I get so shaky whenever I try to write freehand on my cakes. HTH. 
I printed out the font and put it under wax paper and practiced for a while. It worked great, but when I try to write on the cake my hands shake and I can't get the font I want right. Next time I am going to print out the font, put wax paper on top and mark the letters with a tooth pick dipped in gel color, just put dots at a certain distance and then put it on the cake so it leaves outline of letters on it and pipe over it. I hope this is going to work.
But eventually I do plan to practice piping each letter over and over till I get it right and can write anything on a cake without a problem.
Good luck to you, you can do it! 
Hi! I type up whatever I need to write in a clear font in Word, then I print it out and use to transfer it onto the cake. Then I just take a bigger tip and trace over the . That has been working for me, because I get so shaky whenever I try to write freehand on my cakes. HTH.
Do you color your piping gel? When I tried this the piping gel smeared. How to you get the piping gel on to the cake, without it smearing?
I sooo had this problem, but thats when I started doing chocolate transfers about 15 years ago, now almost everything on my cakes are chocolate transfer especially the writing. You can get really creative with your writing when you use computer fonts and ct's.
I've got really crappy writing skills, too! I saw someone on here mentioned writing in the same color as your cake is iced, then going over it in the color you want. That way, if you mess up, it's fixable.
I also like kayscake's idea! I'll have to try that!!! 
Wilton sells letters that you can use to make an imprint on the cake and then you can trace over it with your frosting. I bought these when I was first starting out because my writing was horrible!
I only used them a few times but I really think that they helped me.
me too, I have problems writing on a cake so I don't! I once found these scrapbooking tags and have since then just traced one to different colored paper to match the cakes. I use stickers or write on the tags and then cover the tags in packing tape or clear shelf/contact paper and place it on the cake board some where and use icing to make it look like a tag attached to the cake - kinda my signature. I may have to put more "stuff" on a cake, but it does make the cakes look more professional I think. Writing on cakes is over - rated!! 
However if someone wants me to write on a cake, I get my friend Michelle to do it - heehee Take a look at my Christmas cake pictures for the kids class and you can see...
I use the pin prick method on crusting buttercream and that is the best so far for me. I can't write freehand at all - looks totally terrible.
This way I can print out using cool/different fonts on the computer, prick over the outline with a pin so there are raised dots on the underside, then lightly rub on crusted BC, and you have an outline of dots to trace.
Make sure your icing is not too stiff...and then try to practice being free with the writing...seems like if you try to hard to be careful, it turns out wiggly....try to write kind of fast with a firm steady pressure and try to write like you normally would on paper... seems like the slower you go, the more wiggly and uneven the writing.
Then, there's always fondant plaques and food markers.... I love that!
I use my scrapbook program adn write out what I need and than pick my font. I than tape wax paper over it and use candy melts for my writing adn it looks great, well I think it does. You can take a look at my photos and see what I have done. I am a person that HATES their own hand writing!
I learned at the bakery. One of the cake decorators took a 8 inch round circle put it down on a six foot stainless steel table and traced alot of circles on the table. She then scribbled on the outline and said these are the decoration on the cake, write on the cake but not on the decorations. I stood there for about 4 hours praticing my writing. She was on the other table telling me stuff to pratice. Congratulations, Happy Birthday. etc. The end of the day that whole table was covered in bright orange writing. Just keep praticing.
I stink at BC anyway, but especially writing! I would like to learn about chocolate transfers. I have tried using candy melts for a few things, but I think coloring it changed its consistency and it was too thick and gloppy and didn't look right. I will definitely try some of these techniques.
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