Accept Them As Real

I think it is weird how much I don't care about the characters in most people's stories.  They just seem inhuman to me somehow.  I wonder if it is because of the writing or something else.

Well, I always seem to care about my character in my stories.  But I know I don't write that much better than everybody else, so what is the issue?

As far as I can tell, the characters I create are real people, simply stuck in an alternate reality.  With other stories, the characters end up being figurines acting out actions as the author commands it.  I believe that is the key difference, that I accept my characters as real.

I can't imagine anybody can care about a character unless they accept them as real.  As to whose obligation that is, I feel mixed.  No matter how good a story is, if you are a cynical jerk, you will never get into the story.  But if the story isn't good at all, nobody will be willing to truly believe in them.

Much like everything else in writing and life, it's a balancing act.  There is no right or wrong, only scales.  Find your own point of balance between them.