All recipes have you work the curd in some way.  When working with the curd, there are a couple of tricks that will improve your results:

 

• Clean Break.  Most recipes will tell you the curd must sustain a clean break prior to being cut, cooked or worked.  However, the descriptions make it hard for beginners to understand.  Never test for a clean break until you are at the longest period in the recipe.  For example, if the recipe tells you to add rennet and let it sit for 1-3 hours, you first check for a clean break at 3 hours.  When testing, take a knife and make a very small cut (1"-2").  If the cut holds and the curd doesn't "ooze" back to fill the cut, your curd is ready to work.

• Grid Cut.  Your first cut should be a "grid" cut.  Basically, you cut the curd from the top into 1"-2" squares.  

• Cut, Wait, Recut.  After the grid cut, let your curd rest for 5-10 minutes.  After that, you can cut the curd to the size recommended in the recipe.

• Stir Curd.  When the recipe has you stir the curd, you must be gentle. Put your ladle into the whey and gently push the curd so it starts to move in the pot.  Remember, the more you stir, the more whey is removed from the curd, and the drier your cheese becomes.
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