Octavia E. Butler seated by her bookcase, 1986. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. © Patti Perret

Like most ambitious writers, Octavia Butler maintained a routine that became ritual. Each morning she’d rise before dawn, and then write until she had to do the work that brought her money. She labored as a dishwasher, then as a potato-chip inspector, and in her off time she orchestrated her future career. Since 2008, Butler’s annotations, notes, research materials, and drafts of novels have been housed at the Huntington Library in California. A selection is presented below.

Octavia E. Butler, notes on writing, “I am a bestselling writer … ” 1988. Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. © Estate of Octavia E. Butler.

Octavia E. Butler, notes on the Oankali, ca. 1985, Xenogenesis trilogy. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. © Estate of Octavia E. Butler.

Octavia E. Butler, notes on writing, “Tell stories filled with facts … ” ca. 1970–1995. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. © Estate of Octavia E. Butler.