Writing and Inspiration

Welcome to the cKotch.Com Blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is the purpose for this little project. It’s a bit of a long history, but it’s worth reading in full.

The Start of Storytelling

Storytelling has always been a passion of mine.

Like most kids, I created stories for my toys. Building blocks became robots, and dinosaurs became hidden dragons. Figurines stood as soldiers in fierce battles which raged across tables, couches, and chairs.

When I started playing video games, I began drawing up my own plans for how to continue the adventures of my favorite characters, like Spyro the Dragon and Sonic the Hedgehog. Most of my work consisted of maps, story summaries, and basic cutscene storyboards.

Typically, I made my plans on paper taken from my parents and grandparents’ printers. My little hobby grew so much that my parents started bringing me extra boxes of paper from their jobs.

Eventually I started creating original characters and worlds more often than I made worlds for pre-existing characters. Soon after that, another change would come, one that would shift my focus entirely.

Some Good Fatherly Advice

One day, my dad was listening to me rave about my latest video game ideas. He smiled and laughed along as usual. Then he suddenly said, “You know pally, you could make people a lot happier with books.”

I laughed at my dad’s words. He was a gamer, not a reader. Only books he really showed me other than video game instruction booklets and strategy guides were comic books. My mom was the one reader in our house. She always had to have the latest from Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and James Patterson. I only read when school required it or my mom bribed me with promises of new video games.

Still, something about my dad’s words stuck with me.

The Power of Books

There were a few books that always made their way around school at the time. Everyone seemed to have read the famed fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter at least once. Book fairs kept pushing us to read the read the novel Eragon, also known as Star Wars with dragons.

These were the books kids were supposed to enjoy. But when I tried reading them, none of them excited me enough to finish the book. So, I deemed these books nothing special and set them aside. I even started thinking, “If these are the books I’m supposed to enjoy, then reading’s not worth it for me.”

Imagine my surprise when I started seeing movie trailers for the same books I had dismissed.

My dad was right. Books seemed to be touching people’s lives. The books my friends loved were becoming movies. Most of these movies then led to video game adaptations too. Books were inspiring people to find new ways to tell the beloved stories contained inside.

I wanted my stories to have that same power.

A New Hobby Emerges

Writing became my focus.

In classroom auctions, I went for notebooks so I could use them for rough drafts. Pages upon pages were filled with every idea I could imagine.

After homework, I stayed at the computer so I could refine my writing. My mom could barely stand the “clickety clacking” of my constant and speedy typing.

Almost every day, new stories and characters formed in my head. Each one became a part of me I never wanted to lose.

Even the way I enjoyed video games changed. Their biggest interests for me became their worlds and stories. Fun gameplay was still critical, but having compelling places to explore and imagine was now just as important.

Despite my excitement, my writing at the time was a bit basic. My first attempt at a book only wound up being around ten pages of pure randomness. Still, I recognize this work as an important first step in my early days as a writer.

Soon I turned to writing my various childhood fantasies. They were my original stories, and I wanted to give them new life. When these stories also proved short, I linked them together as four series inside a single short story collection.

I also created a character to tell my four short series. Each story would be introduced with the events which inspired my storyteller to create it. This book became one of my lifelong literary projects. I must have revised the thing at least three or four times by now.

I have taken breaks to work on other projects too. Most were meant to be novels. Others were comics or video game ideas. Recently, I have added poems to the list as well.

My list of writings has only grown with time. However, a related passion has emerged alongside writing.

Writing Leads to Teaching

Most of my friends laughed whenever I told them I wanted to be a writer.

They laughed without even seeing my writing.

Some told me being a writer was not an actual career. Others pointed out the astronomical odds of achieving any success as a writer.

My dad supported the idea of aiming high in life. My mom wanted me to at least look into something more stable alongside writing.

I was persistent. I only wanted to be a writer, nothing else.

Then I went to a fine old high school called St. Mary’s.

I found nothing but support. My friends at St. Mary’s were brothers to me. They always pushed me along the path I wanted to walk. They became one of the first main audiences for my writing, and they seemed to love all of it.

I also started taking Honors English classes. They were marked by old and new classics alike, everything from the ancient myth The Epic of Gilgamesh to sportswriter Mitch Albom’s memoir Tuesdays With Morrie.

I finally began to enjoy reading. English class taught works which engaged me with the literary world I had wanted to join. For the first time, I truly felt and understood the power of books for myself.

Books could explore characters’ thoughts and surroundings in ways which other forms of storytelling simply could not. For example, in a book, detailed narration allows readers to create characters and worlds inside their heads. In movies or shows, such narration would merely be seen as repetition of what you can already see.

My English teachers conveyed the power of books with such life and energy that I wanted to do it too. Inspiring others was a large part of why I wanted my stories to be based in books, and teaching seemed to be another job based on providing inspiration.

I wanted to be an English teacher.

Two Dreams

I went to college with two dreams driving me forward.

In English classes, constant reading and writing assignments excited me to my peers’ confusion. To me, each book analyzed and essay written was a personal challenge to improve my talents.

Education classes helped me consider the type of teacher I wanted to be. I chose to link my vision for teaching to my vision for writing. I wanted to make creative lessons to truly involve students in the stories they were reading.

One of my favorite lesson plans was designed to teach letter writing using the classic novel The Catcher in the Rye. I would assign students to write a letter of recommendation for the novel’s delinquent main character Holden Caulfield. They would need to create an honest depiction of him which could still hopefully get him accepted into college. The plan was based on a project I did in high school, but I feel I made it my own.

Eventually I graduated from college and began a summer-long job hunt. Both teaching and writing jobs were on the table, and the search certainly got hectic. Many places that grabbed my interest never called back. Other places that made me hesitant would not stop calling.

Then an opportunity arose.

My old high school, St. Mary’s, wanted me as a resident advisor in its dorms and a substitute teacher in its classrooms. I accepted the offer and began a whole new step on my journey as a teacher.

The First Dream Returns

St. Mary’s has been the perfect first job after college. Every day I work here feels like a return home. This is one of the greatest experiences in my life, and I am surrounded by incredible people.

Of course, there are times when no teachers call off and I have no dorm duties for the day. These moments have left me with a good amount of time to slow down and think about things.

Perhaps taking a step forward in one dream demands taking a step forward in another. After all, if I do not advance as a writer, I may risk losing that part of myself along with any chance it may have to do some good in the world.

Considering all I have written, the best way to advance seems to be doing something that can spread my name around. Along with quality, a well-known name is crucial for a writer. Why not try to make that name before I start publishing?

And so, cKotch.Com has been born. Here is where I aim to share both my writing and its inspiration. I choose to discuss inspiration for two reasons.

1. I believe inspiration is an important part of the writing process which should not be ignored. I want to show you how to take what you enjoy and make something out of it. Maybe I could also show you a few new sources of inspiration you might enjoy.
2. I find many cases of inspiration make good stories in and of themselves. The stories which inspire us often form the next step in our dreams. Maybe I could inspire you to take your own next step, whether it be in writing or something else entirely.

I look forward to seeing how this particular adventure goes, and I hope you will stick along for the ride each week.

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