Sometimes, you have to go elsewhere to get good information. The following link is one of those places. It is a Chevelle forum, that has an excellent thread on how your ignition system works, and how to repair it. The good news is that it doesn't matter what brand of vehicle you own, the basic principles remain the same, and so does the repair.
www.chevelles.com
Ignition 101
A common problem that comes up here on TC is ignition setup. Much of the discussion devolves into "this works for me" without supporting data. These can be misleading and sometimes just wrong. What follows is some very helpful information about how ignition works that I have compiled from...
www.chevelles.com