I agree, first drafts are most difficult, and second and third tend not be be much easier. As much as it's like slowly carving a gem from a rock it's also like cleaning a toilet with pristine thoroughness. It must a pleasure for the next person to experience. It's a heady responsibilty, to think for oneself and some other at the same time.

And I reckon I read many thousands of words for every word I write. Especially here on HN, the erudition and generosity on display is always a treat.

You express yourself with the tools you have at that moment, on the ideas you have at that moment. You work on it and work on it again until you are satisfied or want to move on. In general, I recommend showing what you have written to others. I publish essays on substack that are read, at most, by 8 people, but my repeated effort, knowing that someone, even just a few people, read what I write, makes it worth the effort in my mind.