"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months."
Oscar Wilde

Outlining Your Short Story

A Persistent Woman
- Marjorie Bowen, from Dark Ann and Other Stories

Temple, exhausted, resolved to leave his wife; their atrocious quarrels were killing him; he was still shaken by the furies of this morning's disagreement when he returned home with bitter reluctance; difficult to get free of Sarah, but it must be done; Temple was resolved.
She met him in the sombre lane that led to their house, and clung to his arm in silence; she was repentant, no doubt, but Temple would not relent; he was mute and tried to shake her off, but she clung with great tenacity.
When they reached their home he found it full of comotion; out of a phantasmagoria someone told him his wife had been discovered in the pond - 'Suicide, poor thing!' and his brother whispered: 'You're free.'
But temple grinned at the spiteful shape huggin his arm and knew he never could be free from Sarah.

Here is the basic format:

1. Introduces the plot with some background.
   
2. ACTION.
   
3. Another action that complicates the first action, thus a complicated action.
   
4. Consequence, resolution, twist, irony.

Now make your own story plot...

These are my ideas...

1. He gets a call to meet with a bunch of famous mafia leaders.
2. He travels to Italy, begins researching the members he's meeting with.
3. He finds out the people are dead, assumes they are newcomers that took on the names.
4. Arrives at meeting room, doesn't see anyone in chairs, somebody says, "we're dead, but don't worry, we're all here."

Now go ahead and write your own short story...