In simple terms: Pull back on the stick, and you feel a 'g' force - the amount of 'g' increases with the amount of back-stick. The nose starts rising. (For most operations in airliners, the amount of 'g' you feel is equivalent to the load factor, although the two terms are technically different).
Let go of the sitck, and it returns to the neutral position. The 'g' force returns to 'normal' (i.e. 1 g) and the nose stays where it was when you let go of the stick (say at 10° pitch up).