One of my favorite writing activities is to write dialogue just to see where it takes me. This is a double-edged sword: it can lead to wonderful discoveries, but it can also be a trap. You get lost in witty (on a good day), fast moving, revealing conversation between two or more characters, but if you aren't careful it will lead you in a circle. You do have to be cautious, because so-called realistic dialogue can just wander around the block. Just when you think you are on the verge of discovering the new world, you find yourself at your own doorstep. It's the dialogue trap.
If this does happen to you, read the dialogue for details. Maybe, in the midst of all the chat someone is telling an interesting story. A story that is taking place in the next block that you never got to in your wanderings, or in the next neighborhood... maybe the next town over. Doesn't matter. Go there. Check that story out.
Or maybe you don't find anything. Either way, throw away the dialogue. If you find a story lead, chase it. If not, try some more dialogue, but this time pay attention to action, the present... sniff out that story.
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