Religion kept some of my relatives alive, because it was all they had. If they hadn't had some hope of heaven, some companionship in Jesus, they probably would have committed suicide, their lives were so hellish. Octavia Butler alivecommitcompanionship share on social
No... a novel is a long business. I'm a slow writer, even when I'm doing very well I write slowly. Octavia Butler businesslongslow Change image and share on social
I wasn't trying to work out my own ancestry. I was trying to get people to feel slavery. I was trying to get across the kind of emotional and psychological stones that slavery threw at people. Octavia Butler ancestryemotionalfeel Change image and share on social
I would never have been a good scientist - my attention span was too short for that. Octavia Butler attentiongoodscientist Change image and share on social
I was raised Baptist, and I like the fact that I got my conscience installed early. Octavia Butler baptistconscienceearly Change image and share on social
I talked to members of my family, and did some personal research that didn't really have anything to do with the time and place I was writing about, but that gave me a feeling of the experience of being black in a time and place where it was very difficult to be black. Octavia Butler blackdifficultexperience share on social
Writing is one of the few professions in which you can psychoanalyse yourself, get rid of hostilities and frustrations in public, and get paid for it. Octavia Butler frustrationhostilitypay Change image and share on social
Well, writing was what I wanted to do, it was always what I wanted to do. I had novels to write so I wrote them. Octavia Butler novelwantwrite Change image and share on social
Most of us don't have to worry about being shot if we poke our noses outside. So we are comfortable, but the people I'm writing about are definitely not comfortable, and being shot while they're still inside is a good possibility. Octavia Butler comfortablegoodinside share on social
And I have this little litany of things they can do. And the first one, of course, is to write - every day, no excuses. It's so easy to make excuses. Even professional writers have days when they'd rather clean the toilet than do the writing. Octavia Butler cleandayeasy share on social
