I have burned the orange fusable link connected to the junction block in front of the battery. To verify a short, I connected the positive battery cable and connected a volt meter to the negative wire with it unattached to the battery and read 12 volts back through the negative cable, which is connected to the engine block.

I have a sunpro digital multimeter that has ohms and volts. I need some step by step help in tracking down this short. I have checked the connections and the wires in the starting system and can't seem to identify any problems.

I would imagine that I could use the ohm meter to find the short, but I really don't understand how to proceed step by step to be sure I am addressing everything.

The car would previously just engage the starter once and then do nothing when the key was in the start position. The car also discharged the battery while it was sitting for an extended period of time (2-3 weeks) without cranking.

Im no electrical expert but I would leave your volt meter hooked up and have someone watch it and pull one fuse out at a time untill you see the voltage drop off then you will know which circuit the short is on then keep checking down the line untill you find it.