Writing Exercise
Think about the last time a telemarketer called you. Imagine your character is getting the call and how they respond.
Side Note
I will use Scout, my teenage demon hunter from my YA Paranormal book for this exercise. And I truthfully don’t remember the first time I received a call from a telemarketer, so I am going to have to just wing it for this one. They don’t really call as much as they used to in this day. It is more the scammers pretending to be from the IRS and all that.
My Story
Scout sat at her desk in her room, her history homework spread out in front of her. Her pen scribbled across her notebook as she wrote down her answers to her history questions. Her parents had left 15 minutes ago for a dinner and a movie date.
Scout put her pen down and stretched her arms up over her head, listening to her shoulders popping. She stood and headed to the kitchen to get a drink and something to snack on. Scout flipped on the light in the kitchen and headed for the fridge where she grabbed herself a Dr. Pepper. Behind her, the phone on the wall rang, startling her.
Scout grabbed the receiver, thinking it was either Jennifer or Katlyn. She set the receiver against her shoulder and ear, opening her drink.
“Hello? Katlyn? Jennifer?”
“No, this isn’t Katlyn or Jennifer. Am I speaking to the woman of the house?”
“Uh no, sorry, but my mom isn’t home right now.”
“Oh, then may I talk to you father?”
Scout sipped her drink and set it down on the counter beside her. “Sorry but neither my mom or my dad are home. And I need to get back to my homework. So bye!”
“Wait, maybe you can take a message for me and ask your parents if they’d like to purchase an insurance policy with the company Country Insurance.”
“We already have an insurance police so no thanks,” Scout said, growing annoyed with the person on the phone. Now she wished she had let it go to the answering machine.
“Oh, may I ask what company your family uses? Maybe Country Insurance can match or get you a better policy for less.”
“No thanks,” Scout said. “I have to get back to my homework. Bye!” She quickly hung up the phone before the person on the other end could talk to her again.
Scout shook her head and grabbed a bag of chips from the snack cabinet and her drink. Before she could leave the kitchen, the phone rang again. Scout groaned and she sat her bag of chips and drink back down on the counter. She picked up the phone, dreading to answer it. She should let the answering machine get it.
“Hello?”
“Hey Scout, it’s Ricky from history. I need some help with one of the questions from the homework. Do you think maybe you could help me? I would have called your cell, but I forgot to ask you for it at school and my parents had your parents phone number so…” a young male voice said in her air.
Scout sighed in relief when she recognized her classmates voice. “Oh yea, sure Ricky. I can totally help you. Let me get back to my room. I was just grabbing a snack and drink.” She gave him her cell phone number and hung up. She grabbed her chips and drinks and hurried back to her room so she would be in her room when Ricky called her back.