You managed to get several questions going here! Have you done a 'search' on this forum to get answers? Wet areas have been covered several times in the past year, but here's a summary: Why does it get wet? Is the excessive wet just in spots or all over? Are you at the bottom of a hill or in some sort of dip? Is the soil very clay-ey or compacted? Cures range from french drains (effective and very very $$$) to small "dry wells" which are post holes dug deeply and filled with gravel and sand (okay for small-area wet spots) to just growing in raised beds.

One starts a garden by first having an idea of what they want. Vegs or flowers (or both) or general landscaping? Then you narrow the general ideas down to a workable beginning, getting specific - if you want vegs, I highly recommend Mel Bartholomew's book "Square Foot Gardening" for basic how-to and general common sense. If you want flowers, then decide which ones appeal to you most, and where you most want to start. Start with a small bed or area because a) gardening is a great deal of physical effort which needs to have set limits or you quit from exhaustion; and b) it usually takes time to build a good soil (which is the most basic requirement); and c) the most attractive flower beds/landscaping use repeating elements and you will need to experiment to find if what you like will grow and look the way you want; and d) -obviously I believe in self-bribery- a small bed will be a fast reward, showing that all the effort you put into it, really is worthwhile. To get started, try a 'search' on this forum, for 'new beds'; and don't forget to take pics of the way it looks *now* - invaluable both for comparison and for making your dreams into workable plans.