Every once in a while, you come across a line so powerful it smacks you in the face. In the craft book, Wired for Story, the author Lisa Cron writes “Story is the language of experience.” Take a moment to absorb that. Good writing compels the reader to see, hear, taste, smell, and feel what the character does. In other words, the reader lives the words on the page.
Limits 
Capturing the fictional character’s experience in words allows the reader to inhabit that character. Even readers limited by age, ability, and income can fall passionately in love, conquer mountain summits, and indulge themselves in luxuries they will never have in real life.
Passion
Whether the character’s passion is for love or a cause, the writer who inflames that passion enriches their reader. Well-crafted writing stimulates the brain the same as if the reader were experiencing the words in real time. Think of the stirrings of desire that erupt when reading a romance. Or the drive to take action after reading the harrowing tale of someone who has overcome human trafficking, social injustice, or the purgatory of refugee status.
Adventure
Readers are hungry for adventure, to dive into experiences from the comfort of their own home. Even when I’m sick in bed I can join an expedition to the North Pole, 
summit Mount Everest, or sail solo across the ocean through the pages of a book. Old age, arthritis, or a bum hip can’t stop me from experiencing great adventures through well-crafted stories.
I’m unlikely to lounge on a yacht, eat caviar, or hobnob with celebrities. Yet I can still experience all three and more through story. My library card and local bookseller can supply equivalent experiences to Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos, and Jennifer Lopez, at a miniscule fraction of the cost.
Story is the language of experience. Experience shapes lives. Read widely, think deeply, and write with conviction.
