Is there a trick to wire an outlet?

Breaker off first, then check it's actually dead with a non-contact tester or a plug-in tester on the outlet you're replacing - labels on the panel are wrong more often than you'd think. Then the colours: the black (hot) wire goes to the brass screw, white (neutral) to the silver screw, and the bare copper or green one to the green ground screw. Hook the wire clockwise round the screw so tightening pulls it in rather than pushing it out. The trap is the push-in holes on the back of cheap outlets. They work at first but can loosen over time, and that's where scorched outlets come from. Use the screws. And if you open the box and find aluminium wire or no ground at all, that's the point to get an electrician in.