What's the secret to taking photographs in manual mode?

Okay, so we are asked this question EVERY SINGLE WEEK!.

And It’s a valid and very common issue most people come across when owning their first DSLR style camera.

Of course you want to take better quality photographs, like the ones you’ve seen others take and that you love, but why don’t your images work out how you see them in your mind?

There’s no real secret code you have to crack, but there are simple ways to get you started and not give up so easily.