Advice on special interests, burnout and fulfilment

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nathangeorge99
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05 Feb 2024, 9:07 am

I have a few general questions about special interests, dealing with what feels like a burnout, and whether I should compromise my beliefs with one of them. I wondered if anyone could help and advise me?
1. My main career dream is to become a professional scriptwriter. I am really passionate about it, and it gives me feelings of joy at its best like nothing else. However, it's not my "special interest", and certainly not what I do to relax. I feel like my special interest is politics, but my burning dream is to become a writer. This feels unusual as my special interests in my past have been my career ambitions (when I was really into trains I wanted to be a train driver, when it was mainly football I wanted to be a football manager). Can anybody relate to the feeling of your dream career being different from your special interest?
2. I entered screenwriting competitions at the start of the year, and ever since then, the tv series I'm working on (that I entered for them) has felt completely exhausting rather than fun. I have long suspected I also have ADHD, and since I became passionate about this tv series idea it has always felt like a race against my mind in case I lose interest, which I am desperate not to do. Therefore, I'm scared of taking a break from it in case my passion never comes back. Does anyone have any advice?
3. Going back to politics as my special interest - I am particularly keen on creating a report for a Federal/Confederal UK. I am really torn between going all out and creating something that I completely believe in (but is more unrealistic), or a compromise document that might be more likely to happen. Does anyone have any recommendations on whether to do something I believe in more, or modify it to suit what is more likely?



Readydaer
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05 Feb 2024, 9:16 am

from what i hear, the uk is currently in a conservative backslide, so the more likely one might be more useful. That said i'm not familiar with your particular audience


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05 Feb 2024, 9:23 am

I think your feelings are to be expected as your career dreams are very difficult to achieve.
Only a few lucky souls manage to achieve their dreams, sometimes totally by accident!

Game of Thrones was written out of frustration!



Dear_one
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06 Feb 2024, 6:56 am

When I bought a writer's program, Scrivener, I was surprised that most of the other customers were writing scripts, considering the ratio of published books to produced shows. The people with movie grade money are very cautious, unimaginative people who want something very much like what worked last year. "The Life of Brian" only got funding because George Harrison wanted to see the movie. "Life and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" was turned down by 119 publishers before selling five million copies. The sequel, "Lila" is five times more book, but sold far fewer.
A special interest that is linked to the real world is pretty stable, but the available skill varies widely according to the percentage of one's time recently devoted to it. In ballet, they say that if you miss a day's practice, you know it. If you miss two days, the company knows it, and after three, so does the audience.
I hang out with several other writers, and good ideas are a dime a dozen. The special sauce that makes a book popular is capricious, in my experience. However, the more one tries to write, the better the odds of getting it right. However, too much practice can lead to neglect of other life essentials. If you want to fill your head with one job for days on end, you need someone to help with the cooking and cleaning. You may need to work in bursts, with recovery periods. Currently, the market is flooded, and AI is stealing jobs at a rapid clip. At the same time, all the major trends affecting life on earth are headed for a climax. It would be nice to help with minimizing the disaster.



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06 Feb 2024, 9:39 am

Only one job I have done that has not directly related to one of my two main special interests though it did indirectly relate to them.
But all other jobs related to one or the other of my special interests, and I know they are more than hobbies for me because I have held onto both of them since a very young child. These were bicycles and trains. Trains especially! (I find I think in train/railway related subjects to relate to other subjects if I need to think about a subject outside my interests). There is a third I have also held onto but dropped for a few years as I found it was impossible for a few years to be involved in it, but I regained an interest later when I passed my test in my early 20's and that was cars. I used to go deep into the knowledge of makes and models of cars but when I approached 17 I realized there was no hope in being able to afford to pass my test, I latched onto and brought forward my bicycle interest which landed me in my first job and many jobs since then. I always wanted to be a train driver but instead became a guard (Conductor) as I found I was in charge of the driver and the train. I did try for driving and it was when there was a major new rule change and our guards rule books didn't publish it so I asked drivers what the changes were. The exams in the interview were not updated so I messed it up. So I asked what I had messed up (They wanted me to re-apply) and waited and waited and no one let me know so I didn't re-apply. The main reason why is though I was often screaming inside when dealing with passengers, we also had early morning empty stock trains I could kinda catch up with my sleep (Ever changing shifts meant jetlag was a weekly occurance), and drivers could not do this (Many a train I was on came to a halt when the driver had fallen asleep while driving when the new company altered the shifts to get more out of their staffing levels by eliminating the short rest shifts which were placed there to assist us in the transition between late and early morning shifts).

But with cars, I have not bothered keeping up with the latest makes and models as to be honest modern cars are dissapointing. There are a few nice ones but not many! I have seen the same tactics used with cars as were used with bicycles...
Designs were improved and improved and improved, and then new designs (Actually were old abandoned "Failed" designs that was re-invented claiming they were new) would be pushed and as the previous designs were actually better thwn the new (Old) designs coming in they would sabatage and design in design flaws into the cheaper end of the bicycles which still had the older technology (I am not kidding!) so that customers would adopt the new designs, and I see these exact same techniques used in "New" car designs today which is why I lost interest. I also hate the modern technology such as tablet computer dashboards. I HATE that in a car! I don't get on at all with satnavs or radios either so the want to fill a car with modern things that distract me is not an idea I want in a car. My bicycles are similar. I will put lights on them as one needs good lights for the dark, but after being distracted for a few years with the earlier cycle computers which had me looking more at them than the road (And also stressed me while I concentrated on squeezing an extra 1mph top speed or average speed rather than relax and enjoy the journey) I abandoned any form of cycle computer on any of my bikes and started to enjoy cycling again!
I hate distractions while driving!

But I am sidetracking...

If we take either of my two main special interests... I have gone through these stages.

1. Gathering everything I can find about them.

2. Trying everything, especially anything "New"... Spending a fortune to be ahead in the hobby.

3. Getting frustrated when I can no longer keep up with modern trends.

4. Thinking through what works the best and is the most reliable/trouble free and cost effective approach.

5. Abandoning modern trends and honing in on the best of the technology that suits me the most, which is what I call "Maturing in the hobby".

6. Then sharing my thoughts with others which often comes with conflict from those who are caught up in the "Latest gadget commercial brainwashing stage" (Been there and done that! :D ).

This has enabled me to advize others that they don't need modern stuff to enjoy the hobby. They need a cheap and economical means to engage in the hobby that satisfies and brings forth joy!