How Stories Happen with Jay Acunzo Jessica Abel: Author of my favorite book on storytelling ever
19 snips
Aug 19, 2025 
Jessica Abel, author of 'Out on the Wire,' shares her journey through storytelling and creative entrepreneurship. She unpacks the challenges of balancing art with financial sustainability, revealing the burnout she faced while writing her book. Topics include the misconceptions creatives confront, the significance of structure in storytelling, and the need for 'idea aeration' in the creative process. Jessica advocates for prioritizing resonance over reach in business, emphasizing that it's more important to be a favorite than the best.
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The Brutal Three-Year Book Grind
- Jessica described a three-year residency where year one was interviews, year two was scripting, and year three was drawing the whole book.
- She worked 8–10 hour days, six days a week with interns and family help and called the process a “beast” that nearly broke her.
Teach How To Decide, Not Exact Steps
- When teaching or coaching, favor showing how to apply concepts rather than giving narrow prescriptive commands.
- Make advice open-ended so clients can decide with clarity about what they truly need.
Use Simple Math To Gain Agency
- Learn the basic business math (audience vs conversion, revenue needs) to make informed decisions rather than guessing.
- Use that information to create agency over choices and design offers that actually work.
