Exercise: 9-1-1

Prepared by: Nan Hawthorne
Posted on: August 5, 2007

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Exercise: In 400 words or less, write a story showing the events
or circumstances that lead a character to make one of the 911 calls
listed below. Your story should end when the protagonist picks up
the phone and dials.
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Use one of the following calls in this exercise. They are real
calls heard on a police scanner in a metro area on the same
evening:

1. "Caller complains that his wife just won't leave him alone."

2. "RP (requesting party) states that neighbor at this address
was heard shouting for help. Other neighbors and he went to
the residence and found the door standing open and the man's
dogs barking."

3. RP is calling from out of the area asking officers to check
on his wife. He is afraid she may attempt suicide. They had an
argument during a phone call."

4. RP is the resident. She states that a female subject who
appeared to be drunk or high knocked on her door and asked
for a glass of water. The subject is now walking south on
24th. Described as a white female, brown and brown, about
30, on the heavy side, wearing a light colored sweat suit. RP
wants negative contact. (Brown and brown are hair and eye
color; "negative contact" means the person calling does not
want the police to contact her.)
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Characters' actions follow on a series of stimuli combined
with something in their own makeup that provides
motivation to act.

People usually are disinclined to call the police. There's a
famous story of a woman who was repeatedly stabbed by
a man who came back sometime later to do it again
while dozens of neighbors were entirely aware--people just
"don't want to get involved." So it must take a particular
type of person in a particular situation to reach for the
phone and call. And it's this you are to write about.

For instance, one call might be: "RP says there is a
foreign-looking man walking down his street shooting off
a handgun in the air. Negative contact with RP." You might
describe the caller as someone who has agonized over
reporting the actions in that they might be suspicious only in
his own eyes. He has seen furtive young men coming in and
out of the man's house, where the curtains always drawn, at
all hours, and has seen large packages delivered there. He
has told himself over and over that it is all pretty innocent,
really, and he is probably paranoid and prejudiced. But with
the shooting, though the man doesn't seem to be trying to
hurt anyone, he finally thinks he should contact the
authorities. (Don't use this example in your sub; use one of
the calls above.)

In writing your submission, you would concentrate on
caller's character, and show how he perceives his
neighbor, how he questions his own judgment and
chastises himself for being prejudiced, but still thinks
he should tell someone in authority somewhere. You
would show us his behavior and thoughts before he
reaches for the phone. At the end, he would dial the
number.
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