Getting there...with questions

Well, basically the pattern of a typical 14.1 rack goes like this...

1. swing at the break ball and maybe pop out like 5 balls (it's rarely the awesome smash break that splatters every ball a foot apart). Here's more or less the 'textbook' break position people play for. If a ball is there already, save it... if not, play to bump something there. Also try to save a key ball to get on the break ball.

CueTable Help

2. Sink the easiest shot (or any shot you cannot miss) and try for position on a secondary break. The one I see some up over and over again is a ball that is sort of centered below the rack. Get a sharp (but not missable) angle on it like so.

CueTable Help

...alternately, something similar to the first layout works as a rebreak and comes up fairly often.

3. Once your cueball is back under control and you have a choice of shots, play to solve problems. Pick out your break ball if you have one, and look to see how you can manufacture one if not. Remember that by shooting balls in the right order, you may not need to go into clusters... try not to run into balls needlessly. Just play shape on them to put them in the one pocket where they'll fit. Also look to get rid of balls on rails and balls that block other balls from going.

4. When you get down to, say, the final 5 or 6 balls, figure out the easiest possible end pattern. You have your key ball, pick a good ball that will let you play shape on that. Then work backwards until you see how you can get out with little risk of failure.

Of course all of that might not help without some of the really specific stuff in good instructionals. I have a bunch saved on my computer, and some match videos too... send me a message.

Oh, uh... general advice. Play position onto a dime sized area, every single shot. Keep cue ball movement as minimal as possible... all that usual stuff. And never shoot a ball you can miss. Ok, there may be exceptions, but don't risk missing just for the sake of a better pattern. As long as you leave your break ball in place, you can screw up and sort of roll your own for the rest of the balls. I've seen many good runs that were loaded with screwups and trick shots. 100 balls the hard way is still 100 balls.

Here's 259 balls being run, you can see what several good break shots look like:
http://www.nielsfeijen.nl/videoplayer.php?view=41