Also, you want to start in the center and work your way out. I would usually just fold my piece of cloth in half and take a few strands of embroidery floss and do a large running stitch on the fold line. Fold in half in the other direction and repeat. Most counted cross stitch patterns have the center of the pattern well marked for the center. Start there where the 2 threads intersect and you're off. I also use a light pencil mark to put a line through each stitch on the paper pattern so it was easier to find where I had stopped working at any given point. I would also lace my needle in the same spot (top right/left; bottom left/right) on the fabric as well so I knew which was top/bottom as well as left/right so I didn't have to spend time figuring out which was top/bottom when I went back to the piece. It takes a while for the image to fully emerge on the cloth to really know where you are in the pattern.
Enjoy. It can be quite relaxing.