> A lot of how I form my thoughts is driven by writing code, and seeing it on screen, running into its limitations.

Two principles I have held for many years which I believe are relevant both to your sentiment and this thread are reproduced below. Hopefully they help.

First:

  When making software, remember that it is a snapshot of 
  your understanding of the problem. It states to all, 
  including your future-self, your approach, clarity, and 
  appropriateness of the solution for the problem at hand. 
  Choose your statements wisely.

And:

  Code answers what it does, how it does it, when it is used, 
  and who uses it. What it cannot answer is why it exists. 
  Comments accomplish this. If a developer cannot be bothered 
  with answering why the code exists, why bother to work with 
  them?