Most novelists dream of having their books adapted into a feature film. Movies stimulate sales, establish name identity and create a market for more books to be adapted. It’s lucrative with the promise of excitement and glamour.

When my first novel, SISTERS, was optioned by a film producer, my agent told me not to spend the money I was promised. That was a gross understatement. At the moment, while I am writing this, there are easily 50,000 stories, pitches, novels, scripts on the make in Hollywood, many under option with the promise of development. While more films are being made today than this time last year, perhaps, the number is tiny in relation to the stories, novels, scripts now in what we euphemistically call, Pre-production. Obviously the vast majority will not see the light of day. My first novel didn’t.

However, I had four novels developed into film before I sold THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE to Warner Brothers. Each had taken some time, but the so called pre-development of The Devil’s Advocate was a prime example of what people in the business call Development Hell.

My first agent in Hollywood had submitted the manuscript to one producer immediately after I had written it and gotten what we call a pass. Another euphemism for rejection. My agent put the manuscript on the floor in his office for some future submission. We had a falling out; I went to a new agency. The Celestine Prophecy was at work. This new agent’s wife graduated from the same high school I had back in upstate New York and her sister was in my wife’s graduating calls. Synergy everywhere.

I went out on a pitch meeting to a producer who had shown interest in my work, met with his creative director, described THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE, gave her the manuscript and sat back. Shortly afterward, she told me she loved it. The producer and I went to Warner Brothers, met with an enthusiastic V.P., Rob Guralnick, who saw the potential and I was in development hell.

Warner Brothers quickly optioned the novel. Pocketbooks Inc. published it. Warner Brothers hired a well known "A" writer to do the script and we were off. My wife and I met the screen writer in New York, were impressed with his enthusiasm and returned to California full of optimism. It took him more than a year to submit a first draft. Warner Brothers was upset and went to a production writer for a rewrite.

A production writer is someone on the studio lot who has successfully punched up other scripts to the point where they can be shown to talent and developed. I met with the production writer and we had fruitful discussions. A draft was done and it was said to be 70 to 80 percent there. The infamous Third Act was the problem. How do you get the Hollywood ending? Good guys win. Leads don’t die. Etc. In my book poetic justice reigns at the end and greed is punished. I created another form of hell. That doesn’t sell tickets. "Get me a third act!" was the cry.

Onward we plodded and the result was hot, major director signed on, Joel Schumacher and soon after Brad Pitt was being attached. We even had a shooting date to begin principal photography. Another writer entered the stage to punch up the script and solve the third act. He struggled. Everyone struggled. Schumacher left to do Batman and Pitt was on another picture.

Now, the inevitable occurred. THE FIRM was in development and it, too, was about a law firm. This became a race we were to lose. Remember, no third act yet. The book went on the back burner, but Warner Brothers was committed. They bought the rights. I was miles past everyone else who were stuck on options. What now?

They brought back the production writer. He pondered, worked and produced a draft that attracted another major director, Taylor Hackford. He was now given the problem of the third act and another writer came aboard. His name is Tony Gilford and he and Taylor solved the Third Act. My wife and I met with Taylor Hackford and I was not only impressed, I was astounded at how the man had submerged himself in my book and the devil. He had the four walls in his office papered with devil folklore, pictures, art, etc.

As a novelist, I live with one of my works for about six months, but Taylor Hackford was married to it for well over a year. He brought in Keanu Reeves, met and worked with Al Pacino, sold him on the idea to play Satan as a big New York lawyer, and we were out of HELL!

The shooting date was set; the budget building. Sources now tell me the film is somewhere between 60 and 70 million. I created this in my little office, an idea that employed hundreds of people and attracted millions of dollars, major stars. It was overwhelming, exciting and glamorous.

Now the real fun began. We visited the set, met the stars, watched the action and soon read in the trades that there was conflict, problems on the set. A movie of this size is an enormous undertaking involving hundreds of personalities and talents. Some conflict has to occur. In fact, the conflict often brings needed change. That happened, of course, but it was nothing like the rumor mill projected and I was shocked by the number of people who enjoyed rocking the old boat. We survived.

My wife and I visited the set again and again and then visited Taylor in the editing room to be impressed with how the creative effort continued. Throughout this whole experience, we enjoyed the unique position of being wanted, welcomed. I did all I could creatively to help during the early development days. I made my suggestions, comments and enjoyed the intimacy of being "In on it".

As a writer and a former teacher, I was fortunate in that I had had experience with film. I taught it for nearly twenty years, its history and its techniques. I knew from the start that a film based on a book is NOT THE BOOK. A book is a private endeavor. A writer will involve his or her editor, but that’s about it creatively. A film is a committee endeavor. Writers, producers, marketing people, everyone has an opinion and in some cases strong influence on the creative aspects. Somehow, throughout it all, my devil survived, my concept worked, my characters live and my movie has been made.

It opened in October, 97 and the excitement built again. When I first began to think about the idea, I asked myself where would the devil feel most comfortable in the modern world. My answer was the legal system. This was years before the O.J. trial, but often, during my days of development hell, I would watch the trial and scream, "That’s in my book!" I called Warner Brothers and cried in desperation. "Never will there be a better time to create this film!"

Well, it’s created. I have sold the Devil to Hollywood and he has found another home, but in doing so, I have exposed him. The devil surely laughs at my arrogance. My film won’t change things he tells me. "They always knew I was there in their courtrooms, defending my followers and winning. Nothing will change."

Maybe not, but I’ve chipped the wall. All of us who write fiction like to believe we have something to say, that we can move people, strike an emotional chord, bring up an idea that was just below the surface. I know that THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE will cause people to pause and in that pause, some insights will become obvious and visible for more people. That’s all we can hope to do.

Film has become the most important means of communication and perhaps the most powerful. Selling the devil to Hollywood was a very difficult thing to do, despite everyone’s feeling that the devil is at home there, but now that I’ve done it, I can sit back and enjoy the memories, laugh at the struggle. That’s a perk few writers can experience.

I haven’t sold as many books as some other suspense-terror authors, but I’ve got the biggest film developed out of one of my books. It’s bragging, I know, but that’s what helps sell in Hollywood . . . hype.

It just occurred to me. Maybe the devil won. Maybe when I sold him to Hollywood, I sold myself. See how complicated this can be?

On the other hand, I have another story that exposes the Devil. Pocketbooks published it very soon after THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE. It’s called THE DARK, and again, I asked myself, where would the devil be most comfortable in today’s modern society? The answer was simple: the world of psychiatry. Excuse abuse, mitigating circumstances, social ills, personality conflicts, pity the mass murderer.

And so I’m off to sell the devil to Hollywood again. Once more I dive into development hell.

But hey, I think I’m beginning to enjoy this.