Waiting for the Inspiration to Write is Okay

Author interview

Book: Proof of Progress’

Author: Elizabeth Castellano

Pub date: September 2026

Interviewer: Ellen Birkett Morris

In her latest novel Proof of Progress, coming out September 15, Elizabeth Castellano takes on a dilemma familiar to many writers: the overdue manuscript. In this story, the writer is an actress whose manuscript is thirty-seven years overdue. Maria Astorini, a B-list actress, has had a fascinating life, and when she finds herself back in the spotlight at 65, her publisher asks to see the long-awaited manuscript. Written as a series of bite-sized anecdotes, Astorini offers up the moments, big and small, that make up her extraordinary life. She discussed the writing of Proof of Progress.

The Inspiration Behind Proof of Progress

Authorlink: Tell me about your apprenticeship as a creative writer. Did you have a mentor who offered advice that you can share with us?

Castellano: I didn’t have a mentor in the traditional sense, and most of what I learned about writing, I learned through trial and error. It may not be advice, but the best thing anyone ever told me about writing and the pursuit of publishing a novel was, “It’s possible.” When you’re an aspiring writer, you come across countless articles and essays about the difficulty of breaking in and the terrible odds and the endless rejections. But books do get published, and regular people become authors. It’s possible. Keep going.

Authorlink: James Dickey said the idea for Deliverance came to him as a vision of a man standing alone on top of a mountain. His job was to get the man off the mountain. Where did the idea for Proof of Progress come from?

Castellano: A few years ago, I signed a two-book deal. I wrote a second book. I wrote the whole thing. I made it to the last page, and then I threw it out. So, all of a sudden, I found myself needing a new idea, a new character, a new story, and needing it to be finished in a year. Panic set in n, d that was the beginning of the idea for Proof of Progress. It was me sitting at my desk thinking, how can I get out of this? What would happen if I never handed this thing in? How long could a manuscript be overdue? How long could someone outrun a book contract?

The Challenges of a Second Novel

Authorlink: This is your second novel. How has the process changed for you? What has gotten easier or harder?

Castellano: The second novel is tricky. There is a pressure that doesn’t exist with the first novel. This time, I knew people would read it, which created an odd combination of confidence and self-doubt. Unlike my first novel, which was carefully plotted and planned, Proof of Progress was written out of order, occasionally backwards, and often in sudden spurts. It has an unconventional format, style, and length. So, even though I was more aware of the future readers, I was able to take more risks with the second novel.

Finding Voice and Structure

Authorlink: Maria Astorini has such a distinctive voice. Tell me about how you developed it. Did you have any real-life personalities in mind?

Castellano: Maria isn’t based on anyone in particular. She’s a combination of many different people and personalities. Her voice is my voice. I don’t know if I know how to write in another voice. But there are style choices that are specific to Maria. Proof of Progress is written with many short, staccato sentences. It’s also written in present tense, which was something new for me. I wanted Maria to have a very assured voice, but for there also to be a strong sense of reflection.

Authorlink: Who were your literary role models when writing Proof of Progress?

Castellano: Salinger, Strout, Sedaris, Semple….I guess the S’s.

Authorlink: Talk about how you settled on the structure of the book.

Castellano: Like most things with this book, the structure happened accidentally. I originally set out to write six to eight essay-like chapters. In the first essay, I wrote the entirety of Maria’s life in small snapshots. Then, I couldn’t write the second essay. After many failed attempts over the course of about a month, I finally realized the first essay is the book. So, the task then became: how do I take this thousand-word essay and turn it into a novel?

Meeting Writing Challenges

Authorlink: What was the greatest challenge when writing Proof of Progress?

Castellano: Material. There are no extra words in Proof of Progress. Each chapter is its own story and its own idea. There are no transitions, and there is very little scene setting. I wanted each chapter, however small, to feel like a significant moment in Maria’s life and, in most cases, I tried to approach those life events from an unexpected or unusual angle. That became the major challenge. I thought if I could come up with thirty individual stories that fit that criteria, it would be a miracle. I think the final number is one hundred and four.

Authorlink: The ending was so witty. Without offering any spoilers, how did you decide how to end the book?

Castellano: From the very early stages, I knew that Maria’s friendship with Annie was the real heart of the book. Through a very short scene, I wanted to sum up the complicated nature of that relationship and leave the reader with one final laugh.

Advice to Fellow Writers

Authorlink: What advice do you offer apprentice writers about craft, staying encouraged in the face of rejection, or both?

Castellano: This is probably an unpopular opinion. I hear a lot of writers say that you need to sit at your desk, even if you have no ideas, even if you don’t feel like it, even if it feels terrible you have to sit there and stare at the blank page, and that’s your job. I don’t think so. I think if it feels bad and it feels like torture, get up. Don’t think it feels bad, like torture. Get up. Go talk to people. Leave your phone at home and have an experience. They don’t print the number of hours you spent sitting at your desk in the book. Sometimes, it’s okay to wait for inspiration.