I’m a big believer in the long way around. It’s not that I’m trying to confuse or mislead the reader. On the contrary, it’s simply essential that I establish the premise before introducing an argument that might be otherwise hard to accept or understand. You can make a bold proclamation, but if it’s outside of the reader’s common understanding, they’re going to dismiss you out of hand and move on. If you want to have an impact, you have to lead them to the conclusion you desire. Sometimes, it takes more than a minute.