I suspect my frustration here is that although Inkscape's controls sort of look like Word or any number of other word processors, since it can modify a document

I suspect my frustration here is that although Inkscape's controls sort of look like Word or any number of other word processors, since it can modify a document's underlying XML, it requires keeping both paradigms in your head as you work. I know people use it and like it, but in trying to get something done in a way that would save time, this approach didn't really click for me.