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When making brandy, you never want to let the contents of the still get too hot; the distillation process should be slow and steady. The wine should come to a good simmer, but not a boil. Start heating the still with a strong flame, and keep it strong until alcohol beings to drip from the spout.  If the alcohol begins dripping too quickly, you'll need to turn down the heat. Do not let the alcohol drip faster than 1 drop per second.  You'll know the alcohol is going to start flowing soon by touching the copper tube where it enters the water. When it becomes hot, the alcohol is about to flow.  The slower the liquid flows from the spout, the better quality your brandy will be. The first distillate that comes from the still, about 7.5 ml per 1.5 liters (0.4 US gal) of wine, is called the foreshots, and it contains a toxic combination of acetone and methyl alcohol. Measure out the emerging foreshots or take a whiff; when the strong, sharp smell of chemicals abates, it's done flowing. The foreshots should be thrown away; there's nothing drinkable there. The next liquid to emerge will be the heads, which is a combination of acetone, methyl alcohol, methanol, and ethyl acetate. If you're planning to make a second batch of brandy sometime soon, it might be worth saving the heads, which may be distilled a second time to preserve the "good" ingredients and remove the "bad." It's also fine to simply throw the heads away.  Collect the heads in small glasses. You'll want to be able to save every drop of the hearts - the good stuff - which is coming out next. Collecting the distillate in a big glass increases the chances that everything will get muddled together. Keep smelling the distillate as it flows. The heads will smell better than the foreshots, but not nearly so sweet and pure as the hearts. The heads and foreshots together will comprise the first 30 ml per 1.5 liters (0.4 US gal) of wine. When the hearts start to come, the smell of the distillate will have hints of the fruit you used to make your wine. You'll smell pear, peach, plum or apple essence without the harshness of acetone. The distillate should be clear, not milky. Continue collecting it in small glasses, monitoring the smell for changes.  Adjust the temperature as necessary. As the distillation process nears its end, you'll need to keep increasing the temperature to achieve the same flow rate. Keep turning it up so that 1 drop per 1-3 seconds continues to flow. Do not overheat the still, and do not let it boil dry. The last distillate to exit will be the tails, which is less concentrated and less tasty. You'll notice a change in smell; the fruitiness will be gone. It may also look milky. This should be discarded. When the tails come, turn off the heat. After the distillation process, it's important to clean your still carefully.

Summary:
Heat the distilling pot. Collect the foreshots. Collect the heads. Collect the hearts. Watch for the tails.