What I wish I knew before trying explainers without making it complicated

I had a disappointing first try, a surprisingly good second try, and then a third attempt that taught me humility. So, naturally, I now have opinions.

Context: I am not an expert, just someone trying to make Explain Like I'm Five feel less intimidating. I wrote down what worked, what felt awkward, and what I would do differently next time.

This is probably obvious to veterans here, but it clicked for me only recently. simple got easier when I stopped treating every attempt like a final exam.

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the conversation for a while.