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William Gibson: As I wrote "Neuromancer"
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William Gibson. Photo: Hubert Kang i>
"Neuromancer" was written in order. I can not imagine how many years would have took me work on it if I wrote this novel at random. If you had asked me about it after work, I would have said "10 years", but it is possible that this would simply not happen. There are such oddities in life. In general, the way of life is made up of oddities.
I was 34 years old, I had my first child, a spouse, I recently received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. I have published several stories in the Omni, a glossy magazine from the publishers of Penthouse. They pay about $ 2,000 for a story, which is pretty much (compared to SF magazines, where they paid 10 times less). Omni left me no choice, and I had to write more.
Cashed their first check, I bought a ticket to naideshёveyshy New York to meet with a mysterious man, whose editorial will lead to a windfall. Robert Sheckley, funny and courteous man, and writer whose creativity I admired, invited me to dinner at the expense of Omni and gave me two pieces of advice: I should not in any case to sign contracts for several books, and in no case should not buy "This big old house." The first advice I followed.
After I sold at the Omni a few stories, I was contacted by Terry Carr, anthologist NF. Terry once published a limited edition of the first collections of publishing Ace Books, «Ace SF Specials». Now he decided to do it again, and he asked me if I wanted to write a novel in the collection? Of course yes, I said, coming to a state of indescribable fear in which I stayed the next 18 months, as long as I did not give the manuscript (violating all the terms of the annual contract).
I was late because he had no idea how to write a novel, but thought it might be my first and last time. I doubt that anyone else will ever offer me money in advance on account of the unwritten story. The book was supposed to come out in paperback, and the advance was more than modest. I imagined his success so weak that he decided - after a hostile reception, my book will stop printing. And then, romantic yellowing on the shelves of used books, it will wait for the moment when some are fond of esoteric circle of people in Paris or London suddenly stumble on it, and regards as echoes of Bester, Delaney or other authors, which I was guided in his creativity. And that's all what I dreamed, sitting days of its portable Hermes 2000.
But modest expectations fraught freedom and fear (most fear never finish the job) - a great way to motivate. And I wrote the book for the future of the imaginary audience, and only for her. Message in a bottle. For me, it was necessary only to please the audience, and I used all that suitable for this purpose, in my 34 years of experience.
Upon completion of work, I sat staring at a stack of paper, as I now do every time at the end of the story, and I thought - what do I do now is. Frankly, I do not remember, and this moment, and the moment when Terry was paying me the job. I remember meeting with Terry after a while after I passed the finished manuscript. Before that, he did not tell me anything at all. He went down the spiral staircase to the upper floor to the lower lobby, in some hotel. If he had received my manuscript? Yes, he replied. "Come down is that?" - I asked excitedly. He stopped on the stairs, looked at me strangely, then smiled, "Yes. I'm sure that will come down. " And then continued down, then went to the bar. More I probably never met.
In life there are those moments. It happens that some friendly force suddenly helps us, no matter how impossible it may seem.
Source: geektimes.ru/post/243773/
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