Pay attention to the conversations around you: at the dinner table, in the supermarket, while DVD Returning, wherever. You are looking for one line, one tiny sentence of dialogue. You may find your words lurking in a D&M or perhaps you will choose a phrase from everyday chatter. Write down your line. Use it to inspire your Write on Wednesday post.
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She tried to peer over the menu without being noticed. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she focused intently on the large, plastic banana wearing a hat on display near the counter. Or rather, she appeared to be intently focused on the banana. She was looking earnestly at it, or so it would seem. She was not seeing the ridiculous fruit at all. She was scanning the room with her ears, listening for the conversation on which she was determined to eavesdrop.
"...doing backflips in 8 inch stilleto heels and landing in a perfect split..."
"... Doc said it's a virus ...
"... knocked into the bucket, yes, that bucket..."
She was pretty sure it was none of those. This was the most interesting part of her job, almost. She really enjoyed overhearing the odd things people talk about in public. You would be amazed what people will discuss when they think no one is listening, she often told her husband. Then she heard it, the conversation for which she had been waiting.
"...lovely, lovely day. Now to prepare for an important day tomorrow."
Sure that was the one, she readjusted her gaze, turning to admire the desserts in the glass enclosed display case. From her vantage point, the display case offered her more than an eye full of delicious sweetness. It offered her a reflective view of the two women sipping hot tea, engrossed in their conversation.
The speaker wore a large hat and sunglasses. Odd. Sunglasses inside were usually a sign the wearer was hiding something.
The smaller, younger woman sat listening intently as the over dressed older woman continued her description of the day ahead of her. She left no detail out. Unashamed, she openly declared to this obviously less worldly companion the intriguing, slightly disturbing details of her "important day" to come.
Our eavesdropping friend took no notes, recorded no voices. Instead, she soaked in the details, allowing her nearly perfect memory to record the information in her brain, etching the details in her memory banks until she was able to return home and sit in front of her computer and upload all the details.
Yes, this was definitely the one. These were surely the women she came to monitor. This very conversation would, in fact, become her next best selling novel. Those few words began to turn in her head, to take shape, to come to life. As the ladies sat, eating their pastries, Mrs. Johnson began to unleash her creative monster, creating and destroying lives over tea.
I'm linking this up with Write on Wednesday. Check out other submissions here.
