Deadlines

I had to push back a (self-imposed) deadline today. I had told someone that I'd have the first draft of an article by the 15th, and I haven't even started it because work has been keeping me really busy. The editor was happy to be flexible and it's not like I'm getting paid for it, so it's not a real problem, but I still prefer not to get into these situations.

I'm also having trouble getting motivated to start writing. It's this sort of feeling that makes me ambivalent about trying to start a second career as a writer. I write well, and once I've gotten started I really enjoy it. But it's hard to get started. I used to have this problem writing code too, but I've found some ways to work through it. Maybe I can apply them to starting the article this weekend.

My other problem with writing technical stuff is that I don't feel knowledgeable enough. Like who am I and what have I built that anyone should care what I think about programming? But that's just insecurity. I can do my best impression of someone who's gotten over it.

In other news

I need to find a good high school graduation present for my little brother before I head down to New York next Friday.

He's got a summer job lined up and it's the sort of job where he'll have lots of time to read, so I think he's getting books. At least one will be by Neal Stephenson (either "Snow Crash" or "The Diamond Age", if not both). I'm not sure what else to look for at the bookstore. He did a research paper on Farenheit 451 last year and he liked that, so maybe some more sci-fi stuff. Any thoughts on what might be good for a kid to read before going off to college?