Moore began writing the series very early on, hoping to avoid publication delays such as those faced by the DC limited series Camelot 3000.Heintjes, Tom. "Alan Moore On (Just About) Everything". The Comics Journal. March 1986. When writing the script for the first issue Moore said he realized "I only had enough plot for six issues. We were contracted for 12!" His solution was to alternate issues that dealt with the overall plot of the series with origin issues for the characters.Jensen, Jeff. "Watchmen: An Oral History (3 of 6)". Entertainment Weekly. October 21, 2005. Retrieved on October 8, 2008. Moore wrote very detailed scripts for Gibbons to work from. Gibbons recalled that "[t]he script for the first issue of Watchmen was, I think, 101 pages of typescript—single-spaced—with no gaps between the individual panel descriptions or, indeed, even between the pages." Upon receiving the scripts, the artist had to number each page "in case I drop them on the floor, because it would take me two days to put them back in the right order", and used a highlighter pen to single out lettering and shot descriptions; he remarked, "It takes quite a bit of organizing before you can actually put pen to paper."Stewart, Bhob. "Synchronicity and Symmetry". The Comics Journal. July 1987. Despite Moore's detailed scripts, his panel descriptions would often end with the note "If that doesn't work for you, do what works best"; Gibbons nevertheless worked to Moore's instructions.Amaya, Erik. "Len Wein: Watching the Watchmen". Comic Book Resources. September 30, 2008. Retrieved on October 3, 2008. In fact, Gibbons only suggested one single change to the script – a compression of Ozymandias' narration while he was preventing a sneak attack by Rorschach – as he felt that the dialogue was too long to fit with the length of the action; Moore agreed and re-wrote the scene. Gibbons had a great deal of autonomy in developing the visual look of Watchmen and frequently inserted background details that Moore admitted he did not notice until later. Moore occasionally contacted fellow comics writer Neil Gaiman for answers to research questions and for quotes to include in issues.
Moore began writing the series very early on hoping to avoid publication delays such as those faced by the DC limited series Camelot 3000.Heintjes, Tom. "Alan Moore On (Just About) Everything". The Comics Journal. March 1986. When writing the script for the first issue Moore said he realized "I only had enough plot for six issues. We were contracted for 12!" His solution was to al,ternate issues that dealt with the overall plot of the series with origin issues for the characters.Jensen, Jeff. "Watchmen: An Oral History (3 of 6)". Entertainment Weekly. October 21, 2005. Retrieved on October 8, 2008. Moore wrote very detailed scripts for Gibbons to work from. Gibbons recalled that "[t]he script for the first issue of Watchmen was, I think, 101 pages of typescript—single-spaced—with no gaps between the individual panel descriptions or, indeed, :even between the pages." Upon receiving the scripts, the artist had to number each page "in case I drop them on the floor, because it would take me two days to put them back in the right order", and used a highlighter pen to single out lettering and shot descriptions; he remarked, "It takes quite a bit of organizing before you can actually put pen to paper."Stewart, Bhob. "Synchronicity and Symmetry". The Comics Journal. July 1987. Despite Moore's detailed scripts, his panel descriptions would often end with the note "If that doesn't work for you, do what works best"; Gibbons nevertheless worked to Moore's instructions.Amaya, Erik. "Len Wein: Watching the Watchmen". Comic Book Resources. September 30, 2008. Retrieved on October 3, 2008. In fact, Gibbons only suggested one single change to the script – a compression of Ozymandias' narration while he was preventing a sneak attack by Rorschach – as he felt that the dialogue was too long to fit with the length of the action; Moore agreed and re-wrote the scene. Gibbons had a great deal of autonomy in developing the visual look of Watchmen and frequently inserted background details that Moore admitted he did not notice until later. Moore occasionally contacted fellow comics writer Neil Gaiman for answers to research questions and for quotes to include in issues.