Andres Jimenez
@ajimenezl571.bsky.social
I talk about writing, entrepreneurship & self-development to help you make a living as a writer. | 10 + yrs as a nomad freelance writer.
Pinned
Andres Jimenez
@ajimenezl571.bsky.social
· Nov 13
You don't need weeks to outline your novel. You need 10 minutes and a clear system.
Here's how I outline every new book in less time than it takes to make coffee:
Here's how I outline every new book in less time than it takes to make coffee:
Why your outline will change as you write:
• Characters take on a life of their own
• You discover better plot twists
• Some scenes don't work when written
• Your story evolves with you
The purpose of an outline isn't to be a cage, it's to give you confidence to start.
• Characters take on a life of their own
• You discover better plot twists
• Some scenes don't work when written
• Your story evolves with you
The purpose of an outline isn't to be a cage, it's to give you confidence to start.
November 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Why your outline will change as you write:
• Characters take on a life of their own
• You discover better plot twists
• Some scenes don't work when written
• Your story evolves with you
The purpose of an outline isn't to be a cage, it's to give you confidence to start.
• Characters take on a life of their own
• You discover better plot twists
• Some scenes don't work when written
• Your story evolves with you
The purpose of an outline isn't to be a cage, it's to give you confidence to start.
How amateurs start their first novel:
• Plan every detail before writing
• Rewrite chapter 1 ten times
• Wait until they have "enough time"
How the pros do it:
• Start writing with a loose outline
• Push forward to discover the story
• Consciously make time for writing
• Plan every detail before writing
• Rewrite chapter 1 ten times
• Wait until they have "enough time"
How the pros do it:
• Start writing with a loose outline
• Push forward to discover the story
• Consciously make time for writing
November 23, 2025 at 2:00 PM
How amateurs start their first novel:
• Plan every detail before writing
• Rewrite chapter 1 ten times
• Wait until they have "enough time"
How the pros do it:
• Start writing with a loose outline
• Push forward to discover the story
• Consciously make time for writing
• Plan every detail before writing
• Rewrite chapter 1 ten times
• Wait until they have "enough time"
How the pros do it:
• Start writing with a loose outline
• Push forward to discover the story
• Consciously make time for writing
Writers who never finish their book:
• Wait for the perfect moment
• Search for 3-hour blocks
• Write only when "inspired"
Writers who do finish:
• Create imperfect moments
• Use 20-minute blocks
• Write even when uninspired
Choose wisely.
• Wait for the perfect moment
• Search for 3-hour blocks
• Write only when "inspired"
Writers who do finish:
• Create imperfect moments
• Use 20-minute blocks
• Write even when uninspired
Choose wisely.
November 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Writers who never finish their book:
• Wait for the perfect moment
• Search for 3-hour blocks
• Write only when "inspired"
Writers who do finish:
• Create imperfect moments
• Use 20-minute blocks
• Write even when uninspired
Choose wisely.
• Wait for the perfect moment
• Search for 3-hour blocks
• Write only when "inspired"
Writers who do finish:
• Create imperfect moments
• Use 20-minute blocks
• Write even when uninspired
Choose wisely.
How to outline your novel in 15 minutes:
1. Condense your story into one sentence:
[Protagonist] wants [goal], but [obstacle] stands in the way
2. Dump all your ideas to AI without censoring and let it organize it
3. Cut the unnecessary and reorganize
Your outline is done
1. Condense your story into one sentence:
[Protagonist] wants [goal], but [obstacle] stands in the way
2. Dump all your ideas to AI without censoring and let it organize it
3. Cut the unnecessary and reorganize
Your outline is done
November 21, 2025 at 11:00 PM
How to outline your novel in 15 minutes:
1. Condense your story into one sentence:
[Protagonist] wants [goal], but [obstacle] stands in the way
2. Dump all your ideas to AI without censoring and let it organize it
3. Cut the unnecessary and reorganize
Your outline is done
1. Condense your story into one sentence:
[Protagonist] wants [goal], but [obstacle] stands in the way
2. Dump all your ideas to AI without censoring and let it organize it
3. Cut the unnecessary and reorganize
Your outline is done
4 steps to write your novel without sacrificing your life:
• Write while commuting
• Use your lunch break
• A couple of lines 20 minutes before bed
• Write on your phone while waiting for an appointment
Consistency always beats perfection.
• Write while commuting
• Use your lunch break
• A couple of lines 20 minutes before bed
• Write on your phone while waiting for an appointment
Consistency always beats perfection.
November 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM
4 steps to write your novel without sacrificing your life:
• Write while commuting
• Use your lunch break
• A couple of lines 20 minutes before bed
• Write on your phone while waiting for an appointment
Consistency always beats perfection.
• Write while commuting
• Use your lunch break
• A couple of lines 20 minutes before bed
• Write on your phone while waiting for an appointment
Consistency always beats perfection.
5 things you DON'T need to write your book:
• A perfect free weekend
• A cabin in the woods
• Daily divine inspiration
• To sacrifice your sleep
• To wait for "more time" to magically appear
You just need 20 minutes of consistency. EVERY SINGLE DAY.
• A perfect free weekend
• A cabin in the woods
• Daily divine inspiration
• To sacrifice your sleep
• To wait for "more time" to magically appear
You just need 20 minutes of consistency. EVERY SINGLE DAY.
November 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM
5 things you DON'T need to write your book:
• A perfect free weekend
• A cabin in the woods
• Daily divine inspiration
• To sacrifice your sleep
• To wait for "more time" to magically appear
You just need 20 minutes of consistency. EVERY SINGLE DAY.
• A perfect free weekend
• A cabin in the woods
• Daily divine inspiration
• To sacrifice your sleep
• To wait for "more time" to magically appear
You just need 20 minutes of consistency. EVERY SINGLE DAY.
4 things every chapter in your novel needs:
Location: Where does it happen?
Characters: Who's in the scene?
Objective: What drives the action forward?
Hook: Why should the reader move on to the next chapter?
Location: Where does it happen?
Characters: Who's in the scene?
Objective: What drives the action forward?
Hook: Why should the reader move on to the next chapter?
November 20, 2025 at 12:25 PM
4 things every chapter in your novel needs:
Location: Where does it happen?
Characters: Who's in the scene?
Objective: What drives the action forward?
Hook: Why should the reader move on to the next chapter?
Location: Where does it happen?
Characters: Who's in the scene?
Objective: What drives the action forward?
Hook: Why should the reader move on to the next chapter?
Most writers use planning as sophisticated procrastination.
They spend months perfecting outlines while the story stays unwritten. But the truth is, your outline will change anyway.
The best outline isn't the perfect one, it's the one that makes you start.
They spend months perfecting outlines while the story stays unwritten. But the truth is, your outline will change anyway.
The best outline isn't the perfect one, it's the one that makes you start.
November 19, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Most writers use planning as sophisticated procrastination.
They spend months perfecting outlines while the story stays unwritten. But the truth is, your outline will change anyway.
The best outline isn't the perfect one, it's the one that makes you start.
They spend months perfecting outlines while the story stays unwritten. But the truth is, your outline will change anyway.
The best outline isn't the perfect one, it's the one that makes you start.
Thousands dream of writing a book. Few finish. Not from lack of talent, but from waiting for the perfect moment. That mythical day with endless free hours that never comes.
Real writers don't find time—they create it. 20 daily minutes beat fleeting motivation every time.
Real writers don't find time—they create it. 20 daily minutes beat fleeting motivation every time.
November 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Thousands dream of writing a book. Few finish. Not from lack of talent, but from waiting for the perfect moment. That mythical day with endless free hours that never comes.
Real writers don't find time—they create it. 20 daily minutes beat fleeting motivation every time.
Real writers don't find time—they create it. 20 daily minutes beat fleeting motivation every time.
How to write 80,000 words in 100 days:
• Write 800 words daily
• That's just 20-30 minutes
• Do it in any available moment
• Don't wait for inspiration
• Consistency builds the habit
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words a day. You can do this.
• Write 800 words daily
• That's just 20-30 minutes
• Do it in any available moment
• Don't wait for inspiration
• Consistency builds the habit
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words a day. You can do this.
November 18, 2025 at 10:00 PM
How to write 80,000 words in 100 days:
• Write 800 words daily
• That's just 20-30 minutes
• Do it in any available moment
• Don't wait for inspiration
• Consistency builds the habit
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words a day. You can do this.
• Write 800 words daily
• That's just 20-30 minutes
• Do it in any available moment
• Don't wait for inspiration
• Consistency builds the habit
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words a day. You can do this.
Can't find time to write?
You won't FIND it. You have to CREATE it.
Many people dream of writing a book. Few finish one.
It's not a matter of lack of talent. We just wait for the perfect moment: that mythical day when we'll have hours free to write 5,000 words in one sitting.
You won't FIND it. You have to CREATE it.
Many people dream of writing a book. Few finish one.
It's not a matter of lack of talent. We just wait for the perfect moment: that mythical day when we'll have hours free to write 5,000 words in one sitting.
November 18, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Can't find time to write?
You won't FIND it. You have to CREATE it.
Many people dream of writing a book. Few finish one.
It's not a matter of lack of talent. We just wait for the perfect moment: that mythical day when we'll have hours free to write 5,000 words in one sitting.
You won't FIND it. You have to CREATE it.
Many people dream of writing a book. Few finish one.
It's not a matter of lack of talent. We just wait for the perfect moment: that mythical day when we'll have hours free to write 5,000 words in one sitting.
Art has the power to change the world.
It allows you not just to comprehend something intellectually but also to experience it on an emotional level.
In doing so, it can mitigate the numbing effect of the glut of information we face today, and move us from thinking into doing.
It allows you not just to comprehend something intellectually but also to experience it on an emotional level.
In doing so, it can mitigate the numbing effect of the glut of information we face today, and move us from thinking into doing.
November 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Art has the power to change the world.
It allows you not just to comprehend something intellectually but also to experience it on an emotional level.
In doing so, it can mitigate the numbing effect of the glut of information we face today, and move us from thinking into doing.
It allows you not just to comprehend something intellectually but also to experience it on an emotional level.
In doing so, it can mitigate the numbing effect of the glut of information we face today, and move us from thinking into doing.
How amateurs write their first novel:
• Wait for inspiration to strike
• Edit as they write each chapter
• Give up after the first plot hole
How the pros do it:
• Write on a schedule, inspired or not
• Finish the messy first draft fast
• Embrace the chaos, edit later
• Wait for inspiration to strike
• Edit as they write each chapter
• Give up after the first plot hole
How the pros do it:
• Write on a schedule, inspired or not
• Finish the messy first draft fast
• Embrace the chaos, edit later
November 17, 2025 at 10:22 PM
How amateurs write their first novel:
• Wait for inspiration to strike
• Edit as they write each chapter
• Give up after the first plot hole
How the pros do it:
• Write on a schedule, inspired or not
• Finish the messy first draft fast
• Embrace the chaos, edit later
• Wait for inspiration to strike
• Edit as they write each chapter
• Give up after the first plot hole
How the pros do it:
• Write on a schedule, inspired or not
• Finish the messy first draft fast
• Embrace the chaos, edit later
20 minutes a day = your novel finished in 100 days.
The problem isn't lack of time. It's waiting for the perfect moment.
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words per day.
Your story doesn't need hours. It needs consistency.
The problem isn't lack of time. It's waiting for the perfect moment.
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words per day.
Your story doesn't need hours. It needs consistency.
November 17, 2025 at 12:23 PM
20 minutes a day = your novel finished in 100 days.
The problem isn't lack of time. It's waiting for the perfect moment.
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words per day.
Your story doesn't need hours. It needs consistency.
The problem isn't lack of time. It's waiting for the perfect moment.
Neil Gaiman wrote Coraline at 50 words per day.
Your story doesn't need hours. It needs consistency.
90% of finishing your book is really just:
• Writing 500 words daily
• Ignoring the inner critic
• Showing up even when uninspired
The little stuff that makes all the difference.
• Writing 500 words daily
• Ignoring the inner critic
• Showing up even when uninspired
The little stuff that makes all the difference.
November 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
90% of finishing your book is really just:
• Writing 500 words daily
• Ignoring the inner critic
• Showing up even when uninspired
The little stuff that makes all the difference.
• Writing 500 words daily
• Ignoring the inner critic
• Showing up even when uninspired
The little stuff that makes all the difference.
Writing Tip: Finish your first draft before editing.
Don't polish chapter one for months while chapter two sits unwritten.
Instead, write the entire manuscript messy and fast.
This ensures you actually complete your book instead of looking for "perfection".
Then you edit.
Don't polish chapter one for months while chapter two sits unwritten.
Instead, write the entire manuscript messy and fast.
This ensures you actually complete your book instead of looking for "perfection".
Then you edit.
November 15, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Writing Tip: Finish your first draft before editing.
Don't polish chapter one for months while chapter two sits unwritten.
Instead, write the entire manuscript messy and fast.
This ensures you actually complete your book instead of looking for "perfection".
Then you edit.
Don't polish chapter one for months while chapter two sits unwritten.
Instead, write the entire manuscript messy and fast.
This ensures you actually complete your book instead of looking for "perfection".
Then you edit.
Some stats for indie authors:
• Self-publishing market 2024: $12.4B
• Audiobook market 2024: $2.22B
• Substack's writer revenue ~$450M annually
• YouTube's creator economy $70 billion in the past 3 years
Still wonder if you can make a living as a writer?
• Self-publishing market 2024: $12.4B
• Audiobook market 2024: $2.22B
• Substack's writer revenue ~$450M annually
• YouTube's creator economy $70 billion in the past 3 years
Still wonder if you can make a living as a writer?
November 14, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Some stats for indie authors:
• Self-publishing market 2024: $12.4B
• Audiobook market 2024: $2.22B
• Substack's writer revenue ~$450M annually
• YouTube's creator economy $70 billion in the past 3 years
Still wonder if you can make a living as a writer?
• Self-publishing market 2024: $12.4B
• Audiobook market 2024: $2.22B
• Substack's writer revenue ~$450M annually
• YouTube's creator economy $70 billion in the past 3 years
Still wonder if you can make a living as a writer?
Comfort is the enemy of success.
It's easier to hide behind years of editing, chasing perfection, than to expose yourself to the world.
Your first book doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to exist.
Publish, learn, improve.
The next one will be better.
It's easier to hide behind years of editing, chasing perfection, than to expose yourself to the world.
Your first book doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to exist.
Publish, learn, improve.
The next one will be better.
November 14, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Comfort is the enemy of success.
It's easier to hide behind years of editing, chasing perfection, than to expose yourself to the world.
Your first book doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to exist.
Publish, learn, improve.
The next one will be better.
It's easier to hide behind years of editing, chasing perfection, than to expose yourself to the world.
Your first book doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to exist.
Publish, learn, improve.
The next one will be better.
Daily writing makes your life better:
Unlocks ideas you didn't know you had
Trains your brain to think like a storyteller
Makes writer's block disappear
Compounds into thousands of words per week
Proves to yourself you're actually a writer
Everybody should write every day.
Unlocks ideas you didn't know you had
Trains your brain to think like a storyteller
Makes writer's block disappear
Compounds into thousands of words per week
Proves to yourself you're actually a writer
Everybody should write every day.
November 14, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Daily writing makes your life better:
Unlocks ideas you didn't know you had
Trains your brain to think like a storyteller
Makes writer's block disappear
Compounds into thousands of words per week
Proves to yourself you're actually a writer
Everybody should write every day.
Unlocks ideas you didn't know you had
Trains your brain to think like a storyteller
Makes writer's block disappear
Compounds into thousands of words per week
Proves to yourself you're actually a writer
Everybody should write every day.
You don't need weeks to outline your novel. You need 10 minutes and a clear system.
Here's how I outline every new book in less time than it takes to make coffee:
Here's how I outline every new book in less time than it takes to make coffee:
November 13, 2025 at 11:07 PM
You don't need weeks to outline your novel. You need 10 minutes and a clear system.
Here's how I outline every new book in less time than it takes to make coffee:
Here's how I outline every new book in less time than it takes to make coffee:
People think starting a writing career is:
• Getting a literature degree
• Waiting for a book deal
• Being born with talent
What it actually is:
• Publishing consistently for months
• Building an audience from the start
• Treating it like a business
That's literally it.
• Getting a literature degree
• Waiting for a book deal
• Being born with talent
What it actually is:
• Publishing consistently for months
• Building an audience from the start
• Treating it like a business
That's literally it.
November 13, 2025 at 11:20 AM
People think starting a writing career is:
• Getting a literature degree
• Waiting for a book deal
• Being born with talent
What it actually is:
• Publishing consistently for months
• Building an audience from the start
• Treating it like a business
That's literally it.
• Getting a literature degree
• Waiting for a book deal
• Being born with talent
What it actually is:
• Publishing consistently for months
• Building an audience from the start
• Treating it like a business
That's literally it.
4 must-have writing skills every beginner should develop:
• Crafting attention-grabbing headlines that make readers click
• Writing in a clear, easy-to-read flow. Not overcomplicated
• Reaching out and following up on leads/readers relentlessly
• Publishing every single day
• Crafting attention-grabbing headlines that make readers click
• Writing in a clear, easy-to-read flow. Not overcomplicated
• Reaching out and following up on leads/readers relentlessly
• Publishing every single day
November 12, 2025 at 10:30 PM
4 must-have writing skills every beginner should develop:
• Crafting attention-grabbing headlines that make readers click
• Writing in a clear, easy-to-read flow. Not overcomplicated
• Reaching out and following up on leads/readers relentlessly
• Publishing every single day
• Crafting attention-grabbing headlines that make readers click
• Writing in a clear, easy-to-read flow. Not overcomplicated
• Reaching out and following up on leads/readers relentlessly
• Publishing every single day
Your first post will flop.
Your first client pitch will get rejected.
Your first story will be ignored.
That's just the way it has been for everyone that tried to achieve something great
That's not failure—that's data.
The only question: Will you act on it?
Your first client pitch will get rejected.
Your first story will be ignored.
That's just the way it has been for everyone that tried to achieve something great
That's not failure—that's data.
The only question: Will you act on it?
November 12, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Your first post will flop.
Your first client pitch will get rejected.
Your first story will be ignored.
That's just the way it has been for everyone that tried to achieve something great
That's not failure—that's data.
The only question: Will you act on it?
Your first client pitch will get rejected.
Your first story will be ignored.
That's just the way it has been for everyone that tried to achieve something great
That's not failure—that's data.
The only question: Will you act on it?
Failure is only the decision to quit.
As long as you keep moving forward, it is unreasonable for you to not eventually make it.
The writers who succeed aren't more talented. They're just more willing to fail publicly and iterate quickly.
As long as you keep moving forward, it is unreasonable for you to not eventually make it.
The writers who succeed aren't more talented. They're just more willing to fail publicly and iterate quickly.
November 12, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Failure is only the decision to quit.
As long as you keep moving forward, it is unreasonable for you to not eventually make it.
The writers who succeed aren't more talented. They're just more willing to fail publicly and iterate quickly.
As long as you keep moving forward, it is unreasonable for you to not eventually make it.
The writers who succeed aren't more talented. They're just more willing to fail publicly and iterate quickly.
Want to know the secret to writing success?
There isn't one.
But there is a guaranteed method. It just requires you to do seven things most people won't.
There isn't one.
But there is a guaranteed method. It just requires you to do seven things most people won't.
November 11, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Want to know the secret to writing success?
There isn't one.
But there is a guaranteed method. It just requires you to do seven things most people won't.
There isn't one.
But there is a guaranteed method. It just requires you to do seven things most people won't.