Before we dig into this one, let’s brush up on a couple of concepts that are essential to great storytelling:
- Sympathy: sharing the feelings or interests of another (“I feel the same!”)
- Empathy: vicariously experiencing the feelings or thoughts of another (“I understand how you feel.”)
These two sides of the same coin are what enables storytellers to create and recreate stories that resonate with their audiences. These are what allows our work to transcend the state of being a series of events laid out on a page and, instead, reach another person on a meaningful level. These are also, as you are doubtlessly aware, the same two little words that can make writing one of the most difficult and daunting ways to spend one’s life.
