seeds failed to germinate, i think they rot!

i put about 20 seeds in a paper towel, inside a cup with water in it. i checked them every day and they never germinated. the last couple days the water and seeds smelled really bad. today i finally pulled the sees out of the cup and when i crushed one with my finger it was full of some white, bad smelling, liquid. i guess i didn't germinate them right lol. so what is the most effective way to germinate seeds?

Ok the way i do it.

Get 2 small plates the same size.

get one and put two pieces of paper towel on it, put it under the tap on a light drip and soak the paper. Put your seeds on the towel and then get two more pieces of towel but this time dry, put it over the seeds and make sure it soaks up liquid from the bottom sheets. put the other plate over the top and then put in a dark dry drawer, room temp works real well. Check on it daily, if it feels dry then use your hand to sprinkle water on the top sheets, not too much just keep it damp. Check on the seeds every 24 hours until they crack.