A Story Skeleton

When I start a story, it starts as a skeleton.  Which is essentially a story outline.  I thought you might be interested to see what one looks like.  Please understand these are notes, thoughts, and has not been reviewed or edited for punctuation or grammar.  Feel free to chime in with your opinion...I always love to hear what you think.


So...here goes (a little scary publishing a story skeleton)

Clive and Bunny

He goes ‘fishing’, comes home drunk.  While he is sleeping it off, she gets a call from friend. 

What’s going on with you and Clive?

Nothin’, why?

Where’s he at?

Sleepin, went fishing last night, still drunk when he came in this morning.  Why you care
where he’s at?

Buns, I saw him last night and he wadnt fishin.  He was makin time with one of the bar flies down there at that rot gut place at the edge of town.

Oh, he was not!  He went fishing with Franky.

Alright, believe what you wanna believe.  Just remember, I ain’t got no reason to lie to ya.

The next Friday night, Clive goes fishin again.  Sat morning comes in drunk…again.  Bunny let him sleep it off, then asked him…why you gotta fish at night and why you gotta come in drunk?

Franky and I like to night fish, then we sleep in the bed of our trucks and get up before the butt crack of dawn and fish some more.  It’s a guy thing and we like to drink some beers.  Don’t you worry about it, we’s just having a good time.

She said…just wonderin…and tries to believe him.

The next Friday night, same thing.  Sat morning she checks his gear and his clothes while he is asleep.  His gear looks fine, but there is a faint smell of perfume on his shirt.  She decides not to say anything…gunna need more than that.

She calls her friend and tells her what she has found and asks for details of what she saw that night at the bar.

The next Friday night, same thing.  Sat afternoon she asks him…why with all this fishin don’t you bring home any fish?  Franky takes them all to a needy family he knows.  We are having fun and doing a good deed at the same time.  All proud of himself.  Aw, that’s nice! She says.

Bunny and her friend compare notes on a weekly basis.  The friends wants to confront Clive next time she sees him out, but Bunny says NO…I wanna be the one to confront him but I wanna gather all the proof I need to take him to the cleaners in the divorce first.

His Friday night fishing becomes a weekly event.  Every Sat she checks for proof, over time she finds lipstick on is collar, perfume smell, an earring in his front shirt pocket, a long dark hair in his underwear (she has blonde hair), bunch of quarters in his jeans pocket (pool table and jukebox), socks are still white, no mud on his pant cuffs or shoes or legs of his yard chair, bottom of his 5-gal fishin bucket, (need to think of more)

Bunny and her friend finally decide it’s time…Clive leaves to go fishin…Bunny leaves and meets up with her friend.  They go to the rot gut place at the edge of town…but Clive ain’t there, but neither is the bar fly.  They wait for hours…neither ever shows.  The two women go home.

Clive comes in the next morning drunk…he goes to bed.  While he is sleepin she sews him into the sheets and with a broom handle beats the crap out of him.  After she beat him, she left the house…left town…was gone…never heard from again as she thought she killed him.  Franky finally finds him on Sunday afternoon…She broke his nose and his right arm.  He has bruises from head to toe.  Franky wants to call the law, but Clive says no...I deserved this...I full on deserved this.  


In the cooler just outside the side door of the house…fish he caught while fishin that Friday night.

Thanks for reading!

Brooke Ryter