Fiction Writing Site
	Lisa Binion BellaOnline's Fiction Writing Editor

Grammar Review
Anyone who writes needs to possess at least a basic understanding of grammar and how to use it to their advantage. Reading an article or story by someone who has poor command of the English language can seriously detract from the story.

How to Change a Singular Noun into a Plural Noun
The English language is wonderful, but it can be extremely confusing. There are homonyms, words that sound just alike, yet are spelled and have different meanings. There are several rules for forming plurals instead of just one. So how do you know which one to use?

How to Use the Comma
The comma is one of the most important punctuation marks, and it is also one of the most misused. Most often, a comma means that the reader needs to pause in his reading. How a comma is used can change the meaning of the entire sentence.

Question and Quotation Marks, Exclamation Points
My last article on punctuation is on question marks, exclamation points, and quotation marks. There aren’t a whole lot of rules to learn about their usage, but my articles on punctuation would not be complete unless I covered those rules as well.

Semi-Colons, Colons, and Dashes
The basic rules for using semi-colons, colons, and dashes are not nearly as difficult to understand as I thought they would be. I had always considered them confusing. The basic rules for these punctuation marks are covered here.

The Comma
The comma is one of the most misused punctuation marks. Some people seem to haphazardly throw commas into what they write. Maybe they think that makes them appear as though they know what they are doing. It doesn’t. All it does is show they need to brush up on their punctuation rules.

The Period or Full Stop
This is the first of several articles on punctuation. This one covers the period, or full stop.

The Troublesome Apostrophe
What is the purpose of this troublesome and often misused punctuation mark? The apostrophe has two purposes: to show possession and to indicate missing letters. In certain instances it is also used to clear up confusion when making plurals.

When to Use Hyphens
Hyphens have always confused me, but since I have begun to edit my work and the work of others, I have had to learn how they are used. The use of hyphens involves certain rules, none of which are that hard to remember.

Writer's Terms
Some terms you need to be familiar with before sending a manuscript out for publication.