I've skimmed through the thread and can't see any obvious myths being propagated on here. However, the advice I would give is:
The deadline is 31st October in England, 8th November in Wales. Make sure you apply on time. There is no rush. You don't get any priority by applying early.
You will be able to name between 3 and 6 schools depending on where you live. Use all your choices. It isn't compulsory but that gives you the best chance of avoiding schools you really don't want.
You may come across parents who tell you that you should only name one school because that way the council have to give you that school. They will tell you it worked for them. They are wrong. They would have got that school however many other choices they had named.
When naming schools put them in your genuine order of preference. Ignore schools that tell you your child will only get a place if you name them as first choice. They are wrong. And don't worry about missing out on your local school by naming it as second preference behind the school you really want. You won't. All councils are required by law to use what is known as the "equal preference" system. That means there is no priority for naming a school as a higher preference. People who name a school as last preference are treated equally with those who name it as first preference. The order of preferences only comes into play if your child qualifies for a place at more than one school. In that situation you will only be offered the highest preference with a place available.
Include at least one school where you have a strong chance of getting a place. That may mean a hard choice if your LA only allows you to name 3 preferences. But if you miss out on all your preferences, the council will allocate the nearest school with places. That will clearly be a school you don't want but it could also be miles from home. It is better to have a nearby school you didn't want than one that is miles away.
Don't worry about what to put down as the reasons you want a school. Unless you say something that puts your child in a higher admissions category it won't make any difference (and there should be other boxes to complete with anything that would affect the category in which your child is placed). The box allowing you to state reasons is there because the Admissions Code tells councils they must give you a space for this. However, the information you give there doesn't form any part of the decision making process.
If you have strong medical or social reasons for your child needing a particular school, put that in even if the school doesn't give priority on those grounds. If there is nowhere else to put the information, put it in the box for your reasons. It won't make any difference but, if you don't get the school, it will allow you to argue that they have acted unreasonably by not giving your child a place.
If the school allocated is over 3 miles away by the shortest safe walking route the council must provide free transport for your child. They do not have to provide transport if you choose a school over 3 miles away, only if you named closer schools and didn't get them. They do not have to provide transport for you to accompany your child. If there is adequate public transport, the free transport could take the form of a bus pass or similar. If your child is disabled or qualifies for free school meals the rules are a little different - you may be entitled to free transport for shorter distances or where you have chosen a school that isn't your nearest. The rules are a bit complex but I'll try to explain them if anyone is in this situation.
At secondary school age, a journey of up to 75 minutes each way is considered reasonable. If the journey is longer than that you will have a good case when appealing for a nearer school.
When the council offers you a place you should accept it. If you reject it they don't have to come up with another offer. You certainly can't force them to give you the school you want by just rejecting everything else. And rejecting the offered place may not go down well with the appeal panel if you choose to appeal for one of your preferred schools.
You should automatically go on the waiting list for any school that is higher preference than the one offered but it is worth checking. Some councils get this wrong.
Whilst the advice above is mainly aimed at parents in England, the system in Wales is similar so it should apply there too. Scotland has a very different system so any Scottish parents should ignore all of the above!