Psychic distance is a useful tool to understand in order to improve your writing in a way that will help the reader connect with the story. After all, that’s the basis of this concept.

According to John Gardner in his book The Art of Fiction, psychic distance is the “distance that the reader feels between [themselves] and the events of the story.” The closer the reader feels, the more invested they will be in the story’s ending. We break down psychic distance, how it relates to POV, and why it’s important to understand.

First aired January 23, 2023.