Think of your favorite stories of all time. I'd bet that you see yourself when you think of the main characters. Of course, you aren't really, but the feelings of the story are personal and intimate. That's not an accident. When we enjoy a story, we want to be a part of it and naturally inject ourselves into the situations. And, when those situations are relatable, we empathize in a direct way. In the end, we love the story since we can feel it in our bones.
It's a simple thing to cause this effect, actually. Have you ever had a scrape against wood? And, when you're examining the injury, you find a splinter under the skin that you can't quite get a hold of, so you dig with your fingernails and then tweezers and finally are forced to endure the irritation? If you're visualizing that right now, you're experiencing what I'm talking about. Empathy. The story has "come alive" for you. If a story does that enough, then the audience is along for the entire ride. It's magic--the magic of the human heart.
I think this quality is why we crave stories so much. We have a deep need to experience things we normally won't achieve. I'll likely never go into space, but I've walked on the Moon with Neil Armstrong, and I can't climb mountains, yet I've been to the top of Everest and back. Stories are the love of the human experience (even if it's a science fiction alien). Discovering a new story, which sweeps you into a new world, is like finding love all over again. Wherever these tales come from, let your empathy go wild! You'll love the result.
- M
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