Copy/Paste Actionscript

Newbie here!

On several occasions I have followed a tutorial where I need to copy and paste existing actionscript. I get to the point where I create a new layer, an action layer, select first frame in that layer…Control click (on a MAC) to access the actions panel…I see the cursor blinking and I PASTE. It never works for me. What might I be doing wrong?

Thank You for any help.