How does one become more advanced in lua?

Not a Master

First off, I am not a master in Lua. No one is technically a master in Lua. Like any real world language, scripting languages take time to learn. Myself and many other people every day improve their knowledge of the language and try to adapt to the changes of it.

Personal Prior Experience

Before learning Lua, I had minimal knowledge of the use of Visual Basic and RealBasic (a program since changed to Xojo Studio). That was a good thing since once you learn a language the others start to flow more smoothly. My friend told me about Roblox, I start making my own stuff from free models. I then decide to try and learn how to script in Rblx.Lua. I did some very basic stuff like trying to destroy a game when you used the Person299's shutdown command. I then watch some videos by YouTube user RobloxSquad, which on Roblox is ScriptOn. His pace was pretty much set to mine, I did not want to spend several minutes wanting to know what a variable was because I already understood the concept. He basically started off with intermediate level material and I quickly adapted to Lua.

Since RobloxSquad only had 5 videos, I then tried finding other means such as following free models and using the Wiki. I stumbled upon LuaLearners one day. The content was boring mostly because it was not to my speed and I was quickly able to rank up in it. I never got into the community of it, because I was not confident with my scripting abilities at the time. I decided to forget about LuaLearners and moved to making my own scripts. I tried helping friends out, making free models for people to take, gradually understanding the errors I encounter and the scripts others create.

Eventually I keep reading the Wiki start understanding functions and ditch the whole while true do loops and multiple script stuff I was using. I gradually improved in the Lua language and remaking my scripts. One day I find out LuaLearners shutdown and a new site ScriptingHelpers is up and running. I basically went "Hmm... I should probably check it out". I signed up, and I begin to try and help people. Some of the questions were easy to answer, others had issues directly impacting their game. Since those issues only impacted their game, I could not replicate possible errors they may encounter so I stopped answering questions of the sort.

After a couple of years on the site, a few years of scripting in Rblx.Lua, using the wiki, and adapting to the API changes of the language I've become the scripter I am today. I honestly do not find myself to be a master scripter, I would never call myself that. I always thought of myself as an intermediate scripter. I try and help solve problems, and I can figure out how to make scripts work for my intended use most of the time on my own. You pretty much have to be stuck in an environment of scripting in order for your brain to go "Okay this is what I've got to know" and you should be able to progress from there.

Conclusion

Not everyone's story is the same. Not everyone will learn, have learned, or are learning the same way I am. This isn't more of an answer, more of personal experience. Just keep practicing and Lua will get easier for you, find the way you learn and keep learning from that. Hopefully this helped.

My Experiances

I really learned from taking scripts, and tearing them apart. I specialize in GUI, and the wiki is a great place to start.

ROBLOX Wiki

If you want to learn about GUI design and scripts, the place to start is here. And if you want to build a basic game while using scripts, best to start here. For the last, if you need to ever look at any functions, great to look here.

Closing

The process could take some time, up to a couple years, but never give up. I recommend not to stay up thinking about what you could do to fix it. I, and most of the community, wish you the best of luck!

First off, thanks for calling me a master, although I'm no where close xd. I'll share a little of my experience

Experience

After I learned the basics of scripting through LuaLearners, I offered a scripting service. If someone ordered a script that I didn't know how to do, I'd search the Wiki for it. Free Models do help, although they may not always be the best source. If you are to use Free Models, be sure it's from a reliable scripter.

Using the Wiki, I learned how to work with FilteringEnabled, DataStores (Upgraded from DataPersistance), and many other stuff. Once you've learned all of those, here is your hardest part. Memorization is the easy part, but understanding and manipulating is where it gets tricky. If you haven't noticed, I rarely ever post a question on SH. That's due to the fact that I am dedicated to my scripting, and of course, my debugging. If I have an error in a script, and I don't understand it, I check the Wiki for what it could mean. After learning the meaning, set up prints, and find where it stops. You basically need dedication to be a good programmer.

After you're good with debugging and memorization, here comes the manipulation. You can look back in our Blog Archives and learn how to approach a goal. Say if I want you to make a game for me, with FilteringEnabled set to true. You have to think what are your limitations, what could go wrong, basically planning ahead. Once you're all planned out (usually takes me about 10mins-1hour to plan everything), that's when you put your plan into action. Lua is a coding language, which could also be known as a spoken language. If you learn Spanish or French, you have to learn your boundaries, and what you can or can't do. That's basically how it is with programming.

Don't expect to become a professional within a few months, as that was not the case for me. I've been coding for nearly 5 years, and still have not 'mastered' Lua. You can't master a language, as it is always updating, and new limitations are brought about. If you're dedicated and persistent, you can achieve anything.

Conclusion

Programing is really fun and enjoyable. I prefer to put on music while I program. Stick to it, and you'll keep getting better.