All About Lola: A Personal Project
When I’m getting to know a character, I like to ask them to create a ‘personal project’ all about themselves. I ask them a bunch of questions and then spend time listening to their answers. Here’s what Lola wrote about herself, back before I even started the book, Lola in the Middle.
Lola: personal project
Describe yourself
I’m kind of normal height, I guess. Not too short, not too tall. Right in the middle. I’ve got what my mum calls dark blonde hair that goes just below my shoulders, although I wish it would grow quicker. It’s super slow.
My second toe is longer than my big toe, which my Mum says is weird, but it’s the same as my dad, so I like it. I have greenish-hazel eyes, and not very long eyelashes. I wear glasses because my eyesight is terrible, at least, that’s what Dad said once. He doesn’t wear glasses, but Mum does.
People say I’m pretty, but I’m not convinced. I’m not fat, but not skinny, not fast, but not slow. I’m pretty smart, but not super smart. Not as smart as Mum, anyway.
I’m good at English, but not good at maths, and she’s an engineer, so she’s really good at maths. When Mrs Robinson says, ‘time for maths’ I get a sick feeling in my tummy. I kind of panic about it, and my eyes feel like they can’t see everything in front of me. Mum says I’m not focusing, but it’s more that I feel like the numbers are moving, or that there are too many things to understand, and everyone just gets crosser and crosser. Even thinking about anything to do with numbers makes me feel weird. Almost numb, like I just want to be anywhere else rather than here.
What are your hobbies? What do you like to do?
I like reading. I can get really stuck in a good book. I like Harry Potter, and I have a whole set of the Babysitters Club books that my older cousin gave to me. She had heaps. You can’t get them in the shops now, but people give them to charity shops, so whenever we go into one I always go and check out the bookshelves.
I don’t really like the kind of books where the main character goes on a quest or rescues a dragon or something. Because life’s not really like that. There’s not a lot of ‘questing’ or adventure. Everything’s kind of safe here. You just go to school and go home again, and nothing really happens.
I like Babysitters Club because the friends all have a purpose – they do something. Maybe it’s kind of like a quest too, in a way. I feel a bit jealous of them, even though I know they’re not real. They’ve got something they’re working towards, and they all work together. I’d love to try and get my friends to do something like that – together- but they’re not really that interested. They just prefer to go down to the pool, or hang out in our rooms and make videos.
Who are your best friends?
I have two best friends, probably, although I’m friends with everyone. I like most people and there aren’t too many people who hate me. If anything, my best friends don’t like each other. Which is another reason why it’s hard to get us all to do anything together.
There’s Indi, first up. Her full name is Indiana. She lives down the street just a few houses with her Mum and lots of little brothers and sisters. Indi is really tall – she’s taller than my mum already, and she’s only just 12. She’s also really, really fast. She went to State for sprinting last year and she’s basically the sports champion of the whole school, except for swimming.
When I came here in Year 4, Indi had been here for two years already and when she found out where I lived, she basically just invited herself over, and has been coming over ever since. She’s got a loud voice and a big laugh, and we have fun, although if she’s in a bad mood she’ll give me a chinese burn, or tap me over the head and call me stupid, but it’s always a joke. “Come on, little Lola,” she says to me. I don’t mind. Fact is, I am littler than she is. But then, everyone is. One thing we like to do at lunch or recess is play basketball, or shoot netball hoops.
My other best friend is Tasha. I probably like her better than Indi, when she’s in a good mood. She’s really funny, and we just giggle for ages because we find the same stuff hilarious. It’s just annoying because she gets into a bad mood about little things. Like, one day, Indi and I went to the bathrooms together at lunch time – because we both actually really needed to go, and when we came back, Tasha would hardly even speak to me. She just huffed around and gave really short answers. I tried to get her to laugh and talk, but she wouldn’t. It was only the next day that she was back to normal.
Tasha is also taller than me. Sometimes she’ll rest her elbow on my shoulder and pretend I’m a resting post. She’s not as tall as Indi, but she is tall. She plays goal shooter on our team, down the other end from Indi, who plays goal defence or goal keeper. She’s not fast though. She moves at her own pace. And then complains if she gets left behind.
I think she likes me the most of everyone. She seems to want me to be her friend. It’s almost like no one else can be her friend like I can.
What’s your favourite….?
Animal: Dogs. Big fluffy white dogs.
Colour: sparkly light purple
Food: pasta
Music: Taylor Swift
Movie: the Muppets
Sport: Netball, but also running
Teacher: Mrs Robinson
Weather: autumn, when the leaves come down
Time of day: Morning early, when the sun is coming up.
Person: Hard to pick. My dad, maybe? Or Mariella?