Hi, I am practicing writing for my first cake this coming weekend, and it stinks, plain and simple.
I even tried just tracing on a piece of wax paper (which had the words printed out from a computer underneath it ) and it still looked like chicken scratch!
There has to be a great way to write on the cake, I am just so annoyed...
Help!
Thanks!
Chica
If you will add a little piping gel to your icing it will handle much easier, besides it gives it a little shiney look. One thing you can do is write with white icing on a white cake, then if you make a boo boo you can smooth it down and try again. When you get it right, take another color and trace over the white writing. Do not fill your bag full. Make smaller parchment bags for writing. Keep practicing, you will get it.
I am a cheater 
I used the press that you can get that has all the letters. There are some that say happy birthday and such in script. But I admit it I cheat. I don't have a steady hand and this helps me Just a thought I don't know if this will help you but worth a try.
There are many options for improving your writing...depending on your problem!
I like to add corn syrup (I think piping gel will do the same) to make it more elastic. Make sure you are using your arm and not writing with your hand. Keep the tip up off of the surface and just let it fall where it falls...it you have the corn syrup in it and you are up off of the surface it will be pretty easy to control.
There are a bunch of methods to try:
laser level if you just want it to be straight
The piping gel method where you trace over wax paper backward and flip onto cake and then trace (I havent tried this because I cant write backward very well)
Letter press (I am not a big fan because it looks kind of generic to me and then you are limited by size and script) I have one in my photos using this method.
After the letter press I started doing the pin prick method. Print out a font from the computer and poke holes with pin. then gently press the paper on top of the cake and trace. It will only show a fine line, but you can see it. The only thing I dont like about this method is that you can dent your icing with the paper while you are pressing it down (you can seem the dents in my spartan cake) Other cakes in my gallery that I used this method are the choc. birthday cake, tractor cake.
My favorite method is to do royal icing letters. Again trace a font from computer (bold works better) onto *parchment* (i like the wilton silicone treated-nothing sticks to it. I tried wax paper once and they stuck a little bit and broke a bunch. It was really annoying. I have much better luck with parchment) then wait for them to dry a day or so. Pick up and place on cake...you might have to add a tiny dab of icing on the back to get them to stick. Make a couple of extra because they are fragile. Works better if you do script, otherwise it is a lot of placing of letters....In my gallery see blue pooh cake, blue cake with daisies, peach petunia, purple pansies cakes for examples.
Something I read on here said to take some dental floss and run it under your letters that are on wax paper or parchment so that they remove easily. I haven't tried it but it sounds like a good idea!
Jacqui
Like cupcake said, I add piping gel to my thin icing to write. I have also found out that writing with just the piping gel produces the nicest letters, whether I'm printing or writing. 
You can buy a tub of clear piping gel (at the craft store) and color as much as you need or you can buy the precolored tubes in the grocery store. I, personally, have only colored my own and haven't used the precolored tubes. In fact, I use the piping gel enough that I now make sure I have an unopened tub at all times!! 
If you decide to color your own, you do not need a lot. You only need about a pin-head size "drop" from a toothpick. Piping gel takes color very easily because it is clear. In order to get a pastel colored piping gel, I mix in about a 1/4 of a drop of Wilton's White-White coloring. It comes in a bottle and is on display with the Wilton colors. 
Hope this helps!!
~Chelle
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