One not so small secret about me is that I LOVE paranormals. I really, really do. And, though I'm scared out of my wee mind, I've got a story I can't pass up. I'm just going to have to write them. More scary, because then I'm going to have to sell them. And trust me, this is "get an agent" stuff, thus scary stuff. But, the important part is that I have to get the stories done before any of the scary stuff takes form.

So I'm sitting there, probably frowning and glassy eyed because Hubby wants to know what I'm thinking.

Brace yourself, we're about to head into trouble.

"Oh, just...trying to work out the world-building on this book I'm reading because it's not quite clicking for me."

"Why do you care about world-building? I thought you wrote contemporaries."

Insert flushed, blurted explanation of dirty, para secret.

Watch hubby blink for a while, where in which I'm sure I've lost him totally.

Then, suddenly, "Sounds good. But what's the point of the whole thing?"

And it hits me. I have no bloody, blinkin' clue. I mean, sure, each story has it's point and goal, but for the books to be connected...why? I stare at him in horror. I have no overlying arc! My series is doomed and the hubby, God love him, leaps into hero mode.

"Well, let's try this." Out of nowhere, he pulls a mystical story and presents it like a cat with a dead bird on my porch. And get this, it solves my problems. In fact, thanks to him, I won't be banging my head on the wall for a year, searching desperately for an idea to save me. Well, almost...

"Do you mind if I tweak it a little?"

He frowns. "Why do you need to?"

"Well, I would keep it that way, but people would want to know why this guy has this magical ability when no one else around him or in his family does."

"Why can't he just have it?"

"Because we don't know why."

"Why do you need to know why? They just need to know he's magical. In comic books, they wouldn't ask why."

And I can feel it coming. The Spider Man story. It's welling on the side of my mouth. See, it always struck me as odd that no scientists ever figured out that the radioactive spider has DNA altering properties in it's venom. Wouldn't they test that on some innocent mouse or something and discover the mouse was suddenly able to walk on walls?

But instead, I go with the new Cloverfield explanation. "Remember when we watched the movie and we see the big monster. And we saw the little monsters. And there wasn't a whole lot of explaining?"

"Sure." His eyes gleam with imminent victory. I gave him a perfect example of a why-less story.

"But when we watched the behind the scenes, the creators all knew where the monster came from. And what the little monsters were. And why they were attacking?"

His eyes narrow. "Yeah-huh."

"Even if they don't tell the reader or the viewer, the creators needed the whys. So they could imply them and create the proper actions for each character and monster. I need to know why and I guarantee you, readers need the why or they fall out of the story before it starts and they hunt you down with pitchforks and violence and pain."

"Really?"

"No. But it'll feel like it."

He nods. "So, this story...is it going to involve Octopus sex or something?"

"Um...no."

"Probably smart."

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. But hey, you never know. I'm sure I'll hit a knot and my hero will save the day again...