I'm very slowing getting a handle on what is involved to making an independent feature like this adaptation project. It's very different than the more straightforward world of big-budget, studio-backed, WGA-governed world that all the books talk about.

To give you an example, here are some quotes I jotted down from my meeting today with John, Tom and I. "The first person to say a number loses -- either their figure is too high and they're scared off, or the figure is too low and you're underpaid." "You only do movies like this by not being greedy." "No matter what happens, you will be involved with this production at some level." "The producer doesn't get paid until the end of the project."

There are a few steps that need to happen before I (as writer) will see any pay for writing. Here they are:

1. John is sending me his story notes.

2. I write a treatment incorporating these notes, and my own character development. (John's worked on plot, but hasn't touched character development -- that's s his weak spot.)

3. He takes the treatment to Cannes to get more financing. He has a company willing to risk up to 3 million, but he's still short of the final budget.

4. Once he has some cash (aka development money), he then can flow some of that cash to me for a first draft and to Paul to finally buy the option for its full value.

Where does that leave me? Well, I'm going to spend a couple of weeks (evenings and weekends only, thank you very much) working on a treatment. It doesn't have to be incredibly long, it just needs to be a treatment that he can use to pitch the project to the money folks.

I'm also sending John another script sample for him to read. He's already read one of my pieces, but that one didn't really excite him, so he wants to see another. He needs to be able to convincingly tell other people that he's got a good writer on this project. I've got a couple to send him, so that's a non-issue in my book.

Thanks to some pointed questions that my husband made me consider, I've committed to this for now. I have little to lose except some time, and everything to gain. The cynic in me says it's not wise, that I'm in danger of getting screwed, and don't write for free. But the part of me that forms an opinion about a person's intent based on body language, facial expressions, and just a little bit of instinct says that it's OK to take this risk with this producer. He really does mean it when he states that he owes me for bringing the project to him, and that he will keep me on the project (even if another writer does a rewrite) so that I see the film to the finish line.

I'm going to try and get together with a producer I've worked with in the past (who does independent work) and see what she has to say about all this.