Also, download (and seed) very new torrents–such as those posted in the last half hour. If they're freeleech, great. If not, find a new one that has many files, and set your torrent client to download just a few of them--maybe 10% of the total file volume. You'll get those quickly, and then become a "source" for other leechers. Your ratio for that torrent will be large.
And...you're not going to be able to download big (>5 GB) torrents in their entirety for a while, until your ratio is better. A lot of users upload huge collections with no discernible theme (and garbage titles like, "My favorite fuck films"). Those aren't worth downloading...unless they're brand new and you're using the 10% technique I mentioned above.
My ratio was in the toilet for a long time, and then got worse when I had a hard drive crash and had to download stuff over again. Even now, I live up in the mountains and my cable internet goes down several times per day. But using some clever strategy has helped me build up a good buffer, so I'm ready for the next calamity.