About Jojo
Who am I?
I'm an experienced former technical writer, qualified proofreader/editor, aspirational writer, and occasional community thespian based in Ĺtautahi (a.k.a. Christchurch, New Zealand). I live with my wife, Nina, and two cats, all of whom are dreadfully adorable.
I've been obsessed with stories and the written word for longer than I can remember; even as a toddler I am told I couldn't get enough of it. My childhood was spent inhaling every book I could find that sparked my interest (primarily anything with dragons or pirates on the cover). I also discovered at a young age that I have a bit of a talent for wordsmithery, though I seem to have a lesser talet for actually finishing things...
After graduating high school I completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English, with an accidental second major in Theatre and Film Studies, then avoided entering the workforce by earning a Diploma in Proofreading and Editing. I was eventually badgered into becoming a technical writer, which I have discovered is a job I very thoroughly enjoy and excel at. I decided to go back to university part-time to pursue a Master of Writing just in time for the pandemic to hit, but nevertheless managed to graduate with Distinction. I recently had to step back from technical writing due to health reasons, but over the course of more than 9 years I learned an awful lot about the work.
What do I write?
EVERYTHING.
Alright, that's not entirely true. I'm pretty much incapable of taking myself seriously for long enough to write anything spanning more than than a few dozen lines that isn't some sort of comedy, and I discovered very quickly that I haven't the attention span for a novel (probably). As you can see, though, I do like a lot of variety in my writing projects, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.
I'm particularly keen to develop more plays in the future, as well as continuing to develop my in-progress detective series, along with a few unrelated short stories on the side. I also like to write a lot of quick little pieces to help keep my hand in while I'm between sessions on larger projects, such as the examples you'll find published on this site. As a general rule, you can expect my work to include a lot of wit and irony, snappy dialogue, lovable characters, and an entirely unnecessary but satisfying level of structural complexity (it's only fun if I'm making things difficult for myself, after all).
What do I read?
I have not lost my love for books with dragons on the cover; the bigger, the better! I also enjoy massive tomes of historical and/or capital-L-Literary fiction interspersed with shorter, more humourous books. My biggest indulgence, however, is murder mysteries. I cannot resist a juicy whodunnit, especially the ones classified as "cosy". According to my data from The Storygraph, my three all-time most read authors are, in order:
- William Shakespeare
- Lilian Jackson Braun (author of the extensive The Cat Who... series)
- Terry Pratchett
You can keep up with what I'm reading at the moment via The Storygraph or BookWyrm.
What are my biggest literary influences?
Because I write such a wide range of things, I tend to draw a lot of influence from whatever specific texts happen to be most relevant to the project at hand, whether that's Tom Stoppard, P G Wodehouse, or '70s rock music. There are, however, a few key texts from my childhood that have profoundly shaped my person more than any others: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams; Hamlet, by William Shakespeare; and The Princess Bride, directed by Rob Reiner with a screenplay by William Goldman. I have written about these influential works in more detail as part of Red Pens and Playwriting; you can read more about my experiences with them here:
What inspires me?
I tend to be inspired first and foremost by technical challenges; more than what story I want to tell, I am intrigued by how to tell it. I also find a sense of peace in places of natural beauty, especially where I can see the sea, that makes me feel somewhat poetical and stirs the creative process. Observe: my happy place!
