If there's nothing we can relate to in a story, it's probably not going to keep us interested.

That doesn't mean we only gravitate towards characters like us and stories like ours (though these can be powerful draw cards)—in fact, some of us avoid these like the plague.

But to continue with the theme of things that are common to all of us, one of the ways writers can leverage psychology is by writing about universal experiences. To name a few, the concepts of coming of age, unrequited love, loss of a loved one, or familial ties are often made central to a story's plot for their broad appeal.

No matter how abstract the setting or how alien the characters, they are always going to be filtered through ourselves and our own experiences, both as readers and as writers. It's impossible to distance ourselves enough from the human experience to write from the perspective of some extradimensional being with no concept of these things … and even if we could manage it, no one would want to read it!

We instinctively look for ourselves in the media because when we see little pieces of ourselves on the outside, it affirms who we are on the inside. Nothing is more frightening or threatening to our sense of security than the idea that we're alone in our experience, whether figuratively or literally. Thus, reading about someone who resembles us in some way can be of great comfort (even if they're fictional!).

This is one of the main reasons that the bulk of modern media feels a little 'samey'. It deliberately appeals to the broadest audience possible, recycling the same few ideas and tugging on the same heartstrings in order to make itself accessible to everyone (thereby making as much money as possible).

Though I don't necessarily recommend taking the same approach, there's plenty you can learn from it. When you draw inspiration from things you've encountered personally, you almost guarantee that your writing will give someone out there that special sense of recognition and familiarity. It can be as simple as an emotion associated with a particular experience, or as complex as the feeling of growing up with a sentient, shapeshifting dolphin for a babysitter.

It's worth noting that some of the most successful works of our time are the ones that have appealed to the more niche and underrepresented experiences, so don't be afraid to push the envelope!