Line everything up so #1 is firing. So that means 34 (or whatever advance you want) BTDC and then have the pickup pointed at the magnet on the wheel and the rotor pointed to #1. You obviously need to be on the firing stroke also.

Once you do that the engine will fire right up. I drill a hole in the distributor cap so I can see the rotor position. Then once you have the engine running you can shine the timing light into the hole and see where the rotor is. If the rotor isn't perfectly aligned then you loosen the bolts on the back of the distributor housing and twist the housing to get it lined up properly.