and while having one's (initial) thinking on a topic scrupulously examined and poked and prodded and tested by friends can be challenging,

I think it's perfectly reasonable to say in an entry something like "These are my first thoughts on the topic, and I'm not ready to have them examined and poked and prodded and tested, because I still have some things to work through for myself." I've said something similar,on occasion, to J when putting my preliminary thoughts into words.