Soldering Simplified..

[Giffro]

A soldering stand. You can find them without the magnifier. I have a huge counter clamp magnifier so mine doesn't have one. Some companies literally call their stand a "third hand". Those little clamps have all kinds of locking bolts so you can turn them wherever you want and lock them into place. So use them to hold a wire or small component in place while you go to work.
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I just got an email from Stewmac on its new soldering helping hands..give it a look..The Solder Monster. Bit expensive though.

 

[Wfrance3]

A cool trick I’ve used a lot is to use the littl alligator clip on the soldering stand as a heat sinc. If you put one on your work the soldering iron being used on the one side of the work will have a harder time getting heat past the clip to the other side of it. Great for protecting the part of your project you do t want overheated.

 

[byacey]

First off, wires should already be mechanically attached before soldering if at all possible. When not possible, I hold the solder in between my thumb and index finger and position the wire with my ring finger and pinky.

I do the same, even sometimes holding the Neutrik XLR insert between the middle and ring finger, while inserting the wire into the xlr pin with the thumb and index finger. You're eye-hand coordination really improves quickly after you burn yourself once or twice.

If you pre-tin both the wire and work piece quickly, there's usually enough residual flux to create a good solder joint.