[bonestamp2]

I'm pretty similar once I actually start writing (100+ technical blogs, 900+ non-technical blogs). But, before I "write", I start with a really rough point form outline -- sometimes it's only a few points that I know I need to make and sometimes it's a dozen points I want to include (some of which may get cut). This high level view helps me create a better story and I find that narrative useful, albeit to a lesser extent, in my technical blogs too.

I also start writing in a fairly basic text editor, not a word processor, which makes it easy for me to reorder that point form outline with my keyboard and get the flow of the major points down before I start the actual writing.

The text editor also prevents me from spending too much time on that 5% of improvements until the very end. But, I do edit major grammar issues and color as I go since, like you, I feel like I can't move on until it sounds right, and the way I say something often shapes what comes next. Still, having an outline helps me get into those weeds a little bit in the moment and not lose sight on where I'm going next.

I can't stress the outline enough. I wish I did it in the early days, but I wasn't able to "see" the whole story from the beginning back then. Now, I find it is the thing that helps me see what is important to the topic. Sometimes I feel like I need to talk about a point up front but after roughing it out I realize it's actually more interesting and easier to understand if I hold it back until the end. Conversely, there are some really interesting things that can't be explained until the end but I can tease them up front to build excitement and then explain them after the foundation is laid.