I know what I want to say until I open the document. Anyone else stuck here?

I can explain an argument in conversation, sketch it in my notes, and point to the evidence I want to use. Then I open the document and spend forty minutes rewriting the first few sentences.

I think part of it is perfectionism, but I’m also trying to judge the argument, structure, tone, and citations while drafting. By the end of the day, I may have one polished paragraph and no sense that the paper actually moved forward.

Sometimes I wonder whether I simply haven’t read enough. But I also know “one more paper” can become a very convenient reason not to start writing.

Someone in my program suggested NotebookLM and AskSia. I’ve been using NotebookLM to compare what the relevant sources actually say, while AskSia’s research agent helps me keep the papers and notes around the section I’m drafting. It cuts down on the constant tab-switching, although it’s still too early to tell whether it improves the writing itself.

How do you tell the difference between genuinely needing more literature and using more reading to avoid drafting?