I agree. As a beginner myself, I'd been reading about Ruby and Rails for a month or so. Mind you I said READING, not doing. That whole month of reading went

I agree. As a beginner myself, I'd been reading about Ruby and Rails for a month or so. Mind you I said READING, not doing. That whole month of reading went out the window the minute I actually sat down at my computer and got busy. There are SO many questions you'd never even think to ask if you just sat there and read books or blogs. I fully agree that the best way to improve is to sit down and start coding in your chosen language. Everything else is just a diversion. I'll add one thing to this discussion; don't be afraid to make mistakes. Don't be afraid if your code isn't the most efficient. Just write. You'll pick up on more efficient ways to write as you go. You just have to be observant of your process.