As I'm sure most people have done at some point, whether accidentally or on purpose, all of us at some time have been tempted to eavesdrop unnoticed on someone else's conversation. Once, for an assignment in a Directing class, we were asked to listen around on purpose to other people's conversations, voice record one that was particularly interesting or obscure to us, and type up the transcription into a script format, changing the names, of course. The four best conversations were chosen to be cast, directed, rehearsed, and presented to the class at a later date.
The purpose of these "Overheard Conversations" assignment was to show how someone's naturally spoken dialogue and action could be staged into a truthful and naturally depicted production. More importantly, I learned from it that stories can be found everywhere, including in the conversations of every day people. Especially in the conversations of every day people.
Why am I telling you this? For all you writers out there who have hit a creative roadblock, or are just plain stumped, try eavesdropping on some unsuspecting people and see what you can make out of their words.
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