"You have to be a little delusional to make it as a writer"
says Maria Cassano — and honestly, she’s earned the right to say it. With bylines in CNN, NBC, Bustle, Food & Wine, and more, she’s built a career that mixes creativity, clarity, and a whole lot of heart. She’s also grown a loyal following on Medium — over 24,000 readers who come back for her honest, sharply written essays.
Her writing style? Straight to the point, emotionally honest, and never afraid to go deep. She leans into the uncomfortable — whether she’s talking about mental health, relationships, or the messy process of editing your own work.
In this interview, Maria shares where it all began, the personal moments that shaped her memoir NUMB, PARTY OF ONE, and why she believes vulnerability isn’t a weakness — it’s the whole point. She also shares the kind of practical insights every writer wants to know. If you’ve ever felt stuck, unsure, or like your story didn’t matter — this one's for you.
Maria Cassano on Writing
Let’s begin at the beginning — where did you grow up, and how would you say your early environment shaped your relationship with language or creativity?
I grew up on Long Island, New York. Both of my parents were musicians, so I was extremely lucky in that creativity was always encouraged. My dad taught me that you can make a living doing whatever you want, so long as you’re business-minded about it.
I started writing around 11 years old. It became an escape for me. Due to my brother’s struggles with bipolar disorder, I learned how to dissociate from a really young age, and writing was a socially acceptable form of dissociation that allowed me to create my own reality. Mentally and physically, writing was my safe space.
Could you tell us a bit about your academic background — what you studied, where you studied — and how that path led you toward writing and editing?
I started studying English and Creative Writing at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, and then I transferred to SUNY New Paltz after my sophomore year, where I earned my BA. I always wanted to be a writer, so getting a degree in English was a no-brainer. I had to argue with a few guidance counselors along the way and I’m still paying off my student loans, but my stubbornness eventually paid off.
When did writing start becoming a professional pursuit for you, and what were some of the early projects or turning points that shaped your voice?
Once I graduated college, I ended up waiting tables for a few years, and I was not good at it. I got fired, so I wrote an article about the whole experience and submitted it to Thought Catalog. They published it, I used it as a portfolio piece to apply to writing jobs, I landed a fully remote position as a marketing writer for a big publication, and I’ve been in the industry ever since.
You now work as a professional editor. Was there a moment when you realized editing was something you were especially good at, or drawn to?
While I’ve worked as an editor for a few publications, I definitely prefer writing to editing. I’m a perfectionist for my own work, so I’m a tough editor when it comes to other people’s writing, and I’ll only take on a select few clients who are already strong writers and willing to cut the fluff. I’m a big believer in streamlining language to make your writing as strong as possible, and not all writers are receptive to that.
In your Medium piece on the six editing rules, you lay out a clear framework for strengthening any piece of writing. When did you begin developing those rules, and how do they show up in your day-to-day work?
I’ve been working as an e-commerce writer for about 10 years. E-commerce writing tends to be straightforward, fact-based, and punchy — but as I pitched my memoir, I heard literary agents and acquiring editors say they also preferred lower word counts and clear, decisive writing. I realized that whether you’re selling a product, an article, or a book, it’s all marketing, and marketing needs to grab someone’s attention and hold onto it. Thanks to social media, the average human attention span is now 8 seconds, so if you’re too wordy, that’s it; you’ve lost your reader.
Which of those six rules do you find the hardest to apply to your own writing?
I have trouble with passive voice. Like most women, I learned that girls should be gentle, nurturing, and non-disruptive, so my inclination is to soften my language to make myself as palatable as possible. I’ve gotten better at using active voice when I’m writing creatively, but I often have to edit my emails to make them more confident and authoritative.
How do you approach writing something emotionally raw or vulnerable without disrupting the tone or honesty of the piece?
I believe that vulnerability is the tone and the honesty of the piece. It took me a long time to learn that vulnerability is a superpower. I dissociated because I thought my emotions made me weak and unlovable. They got in the way of my ability to mediate my brother’s mental illness, which I believed was my purpose and my value. Once I started EMDR therapy and returned to my own body and feelings, I learned that people actually liked me more when I was raw and honest. I started writing articles about the most embarrassing, shameful, awkward moments of my life, and people responded well. They saw themselves reflected in those experiences.
Let’s talk about NUMB, PARTY OF ONE — such a compelling and deeply felt project. What was the initial seed for it? Was there a moment or experience that pushed you toward it?
I’ve been trying to land a literary agent since I was 18, and I wrote two manuscripts before Numb, Party of One. They were both fiction, and I was not getting anywhere with them. Believe it or not, a psychic told me to write a memoir. I was extremely hesitant — who was I to write an entire book talking about myself, and why would anyone care? — but once I finally followed her advice, I was able to sign with an agent, and now we’re out on submission to publishing houses.
You chose an interactive, multimedia format rather than sticking to traditional text. What made you take that route, and how did the form influence the message?
When I first queried my agent, she said, “I love your writing, but you don’t have the platform to land a traditional book deal. You need to get on Medium and start writing personal essays about your experiences. You need to book podcasts and spread awareness about dissociative disorders.” I’m so glad I took her advice. For one, she signed me a few months later, and for another, I was shocked and humbled to see how my story resonated with other women who had also self-abandoned for the benefit of others.
With so many threads in your work — editing, creative writing, experimental digital projects — how do you manage your time and creative energy? Do you structure your days intentionally, or is it more intuitive?
I wake up every day at 6 a.m., take my dogs out, make a pot of French press coffee, meditate for a few minutes, and start writing. I’m a huge believer in fully remote work, especially for introverts, because it saves so much time, effort, and mental bandwidth for the creative process. I’m naturally a regimented person, which helps me juggle a lot of projects at once — but lately I’ve been trying to lean more into my intuition. I’ll check in with myself and ask, “What do I feel called to work on right now?” so I can allow inspiration to fuel my motivation. Ultimately, I’m thrilled to be writing in any capacity and I’m grateful that I get paid to do it, so staying disciplined feels easy.
Looking back on everything so far — your writing, editing, and creative explorations — is there a moment that affirmed for you, “This is the work I’m meant to do”?
I’m constantly looking for proof that I’m on the right path. Writing is an industry filled with rejection, so you have to stop and acknowledge your wins, however small, or else you’ll get discouraged and quit. The only writers who succeed are the writers who are a little bit delusional about it. When I landed my first paid writing job; any time an article of mine got published; when I started making enough money to afford a house; when I signed with my literary agent; any time I got a few thousand more followers on Medium — all of these moments affirmed that I was doing what I was meant to do.
