Where do you start writing a book?

After I pitched my book idea for "Playing With Paper", and got the green light, I was faced with the first step - actually STARTING it (a bit daunting to me!). I already had my ideas for chapter titles and a big list of techniques, but just like a layout begins with the photos (for me), my book would begin with the artwork. Knowing I must create almost 90 layouts of my own, I decided to start how I always begin, except on a bigger scale. Photos, and then papers, and finally, embellishments - piles and piles of them! Here are 3 pics I snapped of my early efforts spread across my bed before going into plastic baggies. (remember to click on the photo for a bigger view)



And in hindsight, I admit that these were very rough beginnings, as some never made it to the design phase and others were drastically changed. BUT, it was a start, and I needed these beginnings to get past that "I'm scared to death! Can I do this? What if I run out of ideas? What if they don't like it?!" phase.

How do you begin your layout designs? Do you begin with photos? When do you decide on your title wording? Do you journal first or last?