With all due respect, the repsonses so far all seem to be about investing. I think the original question was about stock trading. I am a professional trader, and have a number of articles on my blog about how to break out of the newbie stage and be consistent. You may want to check those out.
I actually go against the grain and say, don't start with a demo account. You won't know what it's like to risk your money, that way, and it makes a world of difference. Instead, risk very small amounts and build up your comfort and confidence. You can read plenty of blogs out there of traders that started out with wonderful paper-trading results, and then did nothing but drained their accounts when they tried the real thing.
You've already seen the other thread re: trading psychology so I won't repeat that stuff here, but that is some of the most important things you'll need to understand once you know the basic mechanics of trading.
Then: get to know some real traders. I can't overstress how fast this will speed up your learning. If you are lucky enough to find one near you, see if you can sit in with them in person and watch them trade. Plenty of them are amenable to that. Short of that, IM with them. The goal isn't to follow their trades, as if they are a free stock picking service. Rather, it's to get a feel for how they think about their trades as they take them and manage them.
Feel free to ask more questions as you go. I think you'll find the trading community is very friendly and helpful.
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