Have you practised techniques used in spell craft such as visualisation? Visualisation is important when casting a spell, or it could be you haven't put enough intent into it. Believe it will work and visualise it and it will work.
Spells are intent manifested through energy, so the words you are saying 'correctly' mean little more than form. A rather efficient form of spell casting is identify what you are doing with your subconscious and forget that you did the spell once it is done. This releases the energy to manifest the intent, though spells are never going to work %100 of the time as there are far too many factors and variables we cannot control.
Spell success depends entirely on the caster. There are some spells on this site which are not designed right. If you don't know how a spell should be designed, then you probably won't be able to cast one successfully.
spells are tough. You don't start out by casting spells. Some are easier than others, but if your spells aren't working you should check 2 things.
1: How realistic does the spell seem? If a spell claims it will be able to make you become mermaid, it probably isn't a real spell. Magick is subtle. You can change the weather, affect people's health, see things that are far away...but you CAN NOT turn into other being, throw fireballs or kill someone with a single look. Just try using common sense when you look at a spell. Not everything written up on this site is real.
2: How much preparation have YOU done? Spell casting requires a LOT of focus...and a lot of energy. Maybe you didn't focus well enough (if your mind was not 100% focused on the spell it won't work)...OR maybe you did not use enough energy. If it's a dramatic spell, you might not have enough energy on your own to perform it. If that is the case, you must find a way to gather energy for the spell.
Spells are not easy. You have to learn the basics before they work very well. Some people have to practice magick for many years before they cast a successful spell. It depends on the person.
