The long gap between your question and your response leads me to wonder if you have read many of the Threads on the Forum. If you read the Forum regularly for a week or two you will get a good feel for what is usual.
the last thing I'd want to read is a tutorial written by a newbie like me
That is not at all a stupid idea. Once you cease being a newbie it can be very difficult to remember what it was that caused you all the problems. And others may very well benefit from some notes about your learning process.
...R