Prot Asks: Maxim about writing, thinking, criticism, narratives, and productivity
Raw link: YouTube OR Internet Archive
In this 2-hour video, I talk with Maxim about the themes of writing and thinking, as well as productivity at-large. Maxim is a professor of linguistics at a university in Russia. He has a PhD in philology.
The first point of interest we cover is Emacs. Maxim uses Emacs for taking notes, keeping track of tasks, and staying organised. Part of this workflow involves the org-roam package, which is an excellent tool for maintaining a note-taking system. The other part is the Org agenda, which in Maxim’s case helps maintain a macro view of the ongoing projects.
I then ask about Maxim’s work and learn about the distinction between linguistics and philology. In this context we discuss attitudes towards reading and writing. We explore how the education system assumes that if you are a local you already are competent in the local tongue, which is not necessarily true. Maxim teaches “effective writing”, which we explore in some further depth.
One of the topics we delve into is about the benefits of writing. This is about keeping a journal or publishing posts on a blog. I also share my own experiences in this regard, as someone who publishes a lot. Writing is a medium through which one may elucidate their thoughts and thus understand their own ideas better.
A blog, in particular, is like journaling on hard mode. This is because of the potential for criticism. We talk about what criticism does, how to think of yourself as a writer/thinker, and ways to approach phenomena such as trolling.
Throughout our exchange we make references to the human condition and narratives. We discuss the function of dreams, of fiction, and about learning from experiences that are not necessarily specific to the facts of one’s condition. Maxim tells me about his endeavours with blogging as well as how he likes to follow the stories of athletes.
Another thread that runs through our talking points is that of productivity and how it is important to keep one’s own experience and needs in perspective.
Link to Maxim’s page
The content is in Russian: https://t.me/light_higher
About “Prot Asks”
In this new video series, I talk to anybody who is interested to have a video call with me (so do contact me if you want!). The topics cover anything related to Emacs, technology, and life in general. More here: https://protesilaos.com/prot-asks/.