Editing Neuromancer (section)

=== Author and composition ===
[[File:Uncle_Gibby.jpg|thumb|138x138px|Gibson in 2007 ]]
In 1981, while working as a teaching assistant at his alma mater, the [[University of British Columbia]], Gibson's [[Nebula Award]]-nominated short story "[[Johnny Mnemonic]]" introduced one of ''Neuromancer''{{'s}} main characters, [[Molly Millions|Molly]].{{Sfn|Smith|2014|p=11}} "Johnny Mnemonic" infused elements of crime fiction, like marginalised communities and criminal society, with technology, blurring the boundary of human and machine.{{Sfn|Miller|2016|p=41}} The setting of the Sprawl and the concept of [[cyberspace]] first appeared in [[Omni (magazine)|''Omni'']] the following year in his short story "[[Burning Chrome]]",{{Sfn|Miller|2016|p=4}} and were popularised by ''Neuromancer''.{{Sfn|McFarlane|Murphy|Schmeink|2020|p=1}} Later in 1981, Gibson was commissioned to write a novel by science-fiction editor [[Terry Carr]] for his second series of [[Ace Science Fiction Specials]]; he submitted an outline later that year with the working title ''Jacked In'', eventually renaming it ''Neuromancer''.{{Sfn|Smith|2014|p=12}}{{Efn|This change was at his publisher's suggestion, hoping to avoid the sexual connotation of the phrase "jacking off".{{Sfn|Smith|2014|p=12}}}} Gibson did not understand computing or networking in much detail, primarily wanting the shared vocabulary surrounding the topics.{{Sfn|Cavallaro |2000|p=70}}

The novel underwent considerable revision, with Gibson saying he rewrote the first two-thirds twelve times to ensure there was both stylistic consistency and a "vaguely plausible" plot.{{Sfn|McCaffery|1991|p=271}}  Gibson's sought to eliminate "clunk", contracting his prose to ensure "individual parts carry more weight". He did not write the novel with a concrete outline, or initially know how it would end,{{Sfn|McCaffery|1991|p=272}} writing the novel in "blind animal panic" because he thought it would fail if he did not hold the reader's attention.{{Sfn|Murphy|2024|p=2}} Gibson added the novel's final sentence ("He never saw Molly again.") to prevent himself from writing a sequel.{{Sfn|Gibson|2003}}{{Efn|Molly appears in the ''Sprawl'' trilogy's third entry, ''[[Mona Lisa Overdrive]]'', reporting that Case retired and married.{{Sfn|Murphy|2024|p=9}}}}