Meet Bryan Young

We recently connected with Bryan Young and have shared our conversation below.

Bryan, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is something I don’t think anyone ever overcomes completely. It’s something that still rests there at the back of your mind no matter what. I’ve found, though, I can ignore it. One way I do that is to remind myself that if I’m an imposter, and I’m doing pretty well in my field, then at the very least I’m good at being an imposter.

The other big thing I realized was that everyone I talk to has that feeling, so I realized it must be normal and I just need to push through it.

It’s been a constant fear that no matter where I go or what I do, someone will be ready to ask for my ID and check it and then I’ll get bounced out of where ever it is I’m trying to get into. But it’s never really happened. Why would it? Fuel yourself with the feeling that you’re pulling one over on people. And that’s been something I’ve taken to heart. If I’m tricking everyone, it doesn’t matter if I’m an imposter, because I’m still doing the work. That they’ll expose me as a fraud later is immaterial, because at that point the check is cashed.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m an author and I get to dream up worlds and write fiction and screenplays full time. It’s an incredible privilege to be able to make my living this way, especially in the capitalist hellscape we currently live in. There is something I love about telling stories, regardless of the medium, that gives me an absolutely euphoric rush. It doesn’t even matter the type of story. I just love the feeling of having all the threads of a complicated story come together and work in harmony to evoke emotions in an audience.

It’s absolutely intoxicating.

This all started when I was in grade school. I won my first writing award in the 5th Grade and I’ve never stopped chasing that high. When I graduated high school, I built a spaceship in my mom’s backyard and filmed a movie inside of it and that launched my career as a storyteller in film. When I was 29, I self-published my first novel and that propelled me into the world of traditional publishing and now I get to work on properties like Star Wars, BattleTech, Doctor Who, Shadowrun, and more. It’s amazing and I have to pinch myself every day to make sure I’m not just dreaming.

My latest book came out recently, it’s my 5th novel in the BattleTech universe. It’s called Without Question and I’d love for folks to check it–and all my other work–out.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The three qualities that were most impactful on my journey were:

1 – The ability to figure things out on my own. I didn’t have YouTube tutorials when I was first starting out, but there were places to figure out how to do absolutely anything. It’s easier today. Instead of wasting your mentor’s time asking them questions about things you can just look up, ask them the important questions you can’t find answers to.

2 – The will to keep going no matter what. When you quit something you want to do, or give up on a dream, you’re the only person who decided it. There’s no such thing as too hard or too distant. You have the power to not give up. If you give up, you’ve done that work of rejection for them. Don’t give them that opportunity.

3 – Be a know-it-all. Learn a little bit about everything you possibly can and fall down as many knowledge and story rabbit holes as you can. It’s going to make you a more well-rounded person, it will give you things to talk about with anyone you come in contact with, and will serve you as a storyteller.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

One of the most important people in helping me overcome my challenges is Michael A. Stackpole. He’s a New York Times Bestselling Writer and has written in every licensed universe under the sun. You probably know him from Star Wars, where he wrote the X-Wing series and I, Jedi. He’s been a stalwart ally and constant font of wisdom that has helped me navigate the waters of publishing. It was he who nudged me to publish that first book. It was his recommendation that got me into BattleTech, but more importantly than that, it was his writing classes that prepared me for that challenge in the first place.

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Image Credits

Courtesy Bryan Young

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