Beginners, please read these links. They will save you much time and aggravation.
OK, the sermon.
If you don't like to read, don't like to follow links, then you probably shouldn't be building stompboxes. There are a number of people that feel that they don't need to read a thing and continually ask the same questions that have already been answered a dozen times even when when pointed to the answers. Nothing at all wrong with asking questions, just try to consult the links first.
Read GEO's Effects FAQ. After that, try your hand at Justin's beginner page. Then follow along...
Skills you need to make your own effects Yes, you really need to know this before you start building effects from schematics.
Learn to recognize schematic symbols then check out a simple way to interpret a schematic and place parts on perfboard.
Common Beginner questions and solutions/Transistor Pinouts/Tips Lots of beginner questions and answers are here.
Simple circuit Debugging - Audio Probe Signal Tracer Use this signal tracer to debug your circuits.