Meeting Polly

After writing about virtual worlds last week, this week I have the opportunity to write inside a virtual world. Well, sort of. I've decided to take on a segment of a collaborative novel whose plot very much centers around the theme of virtual worlds and the issues they raise about identity. It's been quite awhile since I wrote fiction, so I'm very glad I have lots of context for my section - I just have to put my scenario into words! I figured I would organize my thoughts and start the writing process here on my blog. 

My chapter segment synopsis, 7.1:  
-Polly cleans up the spaghetti dinner, feeling a little dissatisfied, thinking about Dr. Herrod’s kind demeanor, at least until he left abruptly. She feels lost as to how she could finally get him to invite her over.
-She’s in a foul mood when she finally goes back to her regular apartment, to find Jenny thoroughly occupied in her avatar game. Polly tries talking with her, but it’s like talking to herself. Giving up, Polly joins the game and finds James.

I chose this section because I think it will be fun to explore and explain Polly's thoughts as she is in solitude at the sink, musing on what just happened at dinner. I think I'll be good at describing her "foul mood" by using my own feelings/behaviors of moodiness as a model :). Finally, I'll get to illustrate the unique phenomenon of being lost in a virtual world, oblivious to those in the real world trying to get one's attention. I'm planning to start writing tomorrow afternoon. Below, I've included some notes and points I'd like to keep in mind as I write.

Important Traits about Polly from the Character Bio:
-She doesn’t really have any close friends, especially because she worries that the groups she is hunting will discover and harm them
-Polly has found that it allows her to be free from constraint. She is not the orphaned girl with no set identity, but a normal, educated woman of 25 who teaches at an elementary school. She has dates at least once a month and is just such a down-to-earth person online, that her severely limited dating experience is somewhat forgotten, or at least set aside. 
-She has made cyber friends and has a cyber parrot, so she feels almost more at home there than in her own apartment, which she shares with Jenna. They haven’t become best friends yet, but Polly is learning to open up to people
-She and Jenna sometimes go into "digilife" together since they both happen to enjoy it.

Context Surrounding Polly from the Final Chapter Outline:
(ch. 1) Karate
(ch. 2) Polly acts differently depending on whom she's with, which comes from having to constantly change who she is as a spy
(ch. 3) She has been talking to James for a couple months at this point. She confides in him about Grant
(ch. 4) She's used to jobs taking a long time (Dr. Herron won't let her in his house)
(ch. 5) Secretly commutes back to her real apartment so Jenna doesn't get suspicious. She still likes Grant, but he doesn't respond to her flirts
(ch. 6) Weeks pass, and Polly continues trying to get Dr. Herron to trust her. She talks to him every day just a little bit, then finally invites him for dinner at her place and he comes. She can tell he's beginning to see her as a friend, but when she offers to come to his house to look at a plumbing problem he mentions, he declines, saying he can figure it out. 
(ch. 7) She goes to the computer to unwind and talk to James. This time she realizes she's falling for him and that she is conflicted between James and Grant. 
(ch. 8) Goes to ask for a cup of sugar, realizes Dr. Herron and James are the same person
(ch. 9) Now she's conflicted between fondness for James and duty to work against Dr. Herron
(ch. 10) Polly knows she needs to know what Dr. Herron's plot is before she can figure out who he really is...