Baldwin: I Write at Night

BALDWIN: I write at night. After the day is over, and supper is over, I begin, and work until about three or four a.m.

INTERVIEWER: That’s quite rare, isn’t it, because most people write when they’re fresh, in the morning.

BALDWIN: I start working when everyone has gone to bed. I’ve had to do that ever since I was young—I had to wait until the kids were asleep. And then I was working at various jobs during the day. I’ve always had to write at night. But now that I’m established I do it because I’m alone at night.

-James Baldwin, Paris Review Interview