Figured I'd better tell a little bit about myself. (Sigh)

Age: Old enough to vote, young enough to use my own teeth

Likes: Quite a few things, actually

Dislikes: ...yeah, there's a lot under this list, too

What the heck my name means: "to set on fire"

Goals in life: I'm a procrastinator, so I'll decide later

Dreams: To be healed

Update: Sorry about the lack of this. Believe me, I am working on the next chapter, as well as the one after that and the edited chapters. I have just had a string of not-so-great days. My computer finally had its last nervous (more like obnoxious) breakdown, so I had to get it replaced. Fun. On top of that, I've been feeling less than 100%. (Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when you don't feel well? I've had a great time finding that out personally lol.) Also, there is the issue of just plain feeling stuck. Yup. Combine the three and you have (drum roll, please...) a long absence. I'll get it out as soon as I can.

Helpful Grammar Hints

You're--short for "you are."

Your--the possessive form of "you." (Example: "Your book is on the table.")

The two above are not, I repeat, NOT interchangeable.

There--this is referring to a place or location. (Example: "The bus is over there by that stop light.")

They're--short for "they are."

Their--this is the possessive form of "they." (Example: Their clothes are hanging out to dry.)

The three above are also NOT interchangeable.

Correct sentences require at least one subject and one verb. However, this is not necessarily required in a work of fiction; all authors have a certain amount of literary license regarding grammar...but not too much.

As suggested by a fellow reader who is also concerned for the loss of literacy in the USA, there is one other grammar tip I'd like to offer.

The Difference Between Plural and Possessive

--Plural refers to two or more of whatever the noun is. If there is more than one dog, you would say there are "dogs."

--Possessive refers to ownership. If the dog had a bone, you would say it is "the dog's bone." If more than one dog owns the bone, you would say it is "the dogs' bone."

--Plural possessive--if more than one noun (person, place, thing, ideal) owns one or more things. "My dogs had puppies." "These are my dogs' puppies." You take the plural form and add an apostrophe. I don't think there are any exceptions to this, but if I remember or find one, I'll let you know.

--The general rule of thumb is that if it's possessive, use an apostrophe. If it's plural, do not use an apostrophe. There is one common exception to this rule, and that is with the words "its" and "it's." Those are explained below.

"It's" is short for "it is." "Its" is the possessive form of "it." They are different simply because they'd be more confusing otherwise. I'm not really too concerned about this one as it's fairly simple for at least the native speakers to understand it, but for all those who plan on attending college, allow me to assure you that you WILL be needing to get these straight. This also applies to those who are considering becoming authors--a great goal, mind you, but without a good background in grammar, it will probably not happen. Just because publishers have editors doesn't mean they want to pay them buckets of money just because you can't figure out the difference between plural and possessive forms. Get the picture? Just like anything else, it requires effort and expertise.

Another common exception is with the words "who's" and "whose." The one with the apostrophe is the plural one. "Whose" is possessive. Again, not too big of a deal, as I don't want to nitpick, but it is essential for a good writer to know.

Examples:

Family

Plural form: Families

Possessive form: Family's

Plural possessive form: Families'

Strawberry

Plural form: Strawberries

Possessive form: Strawberry's

Plural possessive form: Strawberries'

I know this is not in-depth by any stretch of the imagination, but it should help clear up some confusion between these forms. There are other times when apostrophes can be used, but this is the most common mistake I see with them, and like I said, if you ever intend to be a professional author, you first need to have professional writing. Otherwise, no one will take you seriously.

Story updates:

Chapter 14-- (10/16/2010) It's posted, it's posted, it's posted! Yay! Woo-hoo! ...Ahem. Yeah. There it is. Enjoy :)

Edited chapters--Gotta admit I'm not working on these nearly as diligently, but I have decided not to mess with the story lines very much in the chapters that have already been finished. I might change a few things here or there for the simple fact that it works better, or I might add a new scene, but aside from that, not much will change. Anyway, don't hold your breath on these lol.