Anyone who willingly leaves Los Angeles for Rochester in mid-November must have a damn good reason.
It was the High Falls Film Festival that prompted acclaimed screenwriter Gordy Hoffman to make the cross-country trip. A Fairport native, Hoffman chose the annual Rochester festival to showcase winners of his nationwide BlueCat Screenplay Competition.
Hoffman's big break came at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival when he received the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Love Liza , a film starring Kathy Bates and Hoffman's brother, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
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During his recent visit to Rochester, Gordy Hoffman let insider pick his brain about the nuances of his unpredictable but highly rewarding writing career.
How did a small-town guy from Fairport get lured to Hollywood?
When I was in high school my drama teacher from Fairport High School, Midge Marshall, was very inspiring. The way she taught allowed us to think about all sorts of careers in show business. She didn't think that it was an impractical way to pursue your life. I was acting then, and knew I wanted to write plays.
How do you know when you've got a great screenplay?
After a while, you can recognize one very quickly. The dialogue is very intuitive and suggests real human behavior and experience. If it's a comedy, the jokes are funny. It's about knowing what pictures compose a narrative when you go see a movie. Some people have trouble conveying that.
Is there any particular path you've followed in life to get where you are today?
Well, I had goals, but I didn't execute the plan to get there with a surgeon's precision. I knew I always wanted to write. I started writing my first play (Hong Kong ) when I was 23. When I was 30, I figured that I could probably make some money doing what I've always been doing. That's when I started writing screenplays instead of plays.
How do you get in the zone when you sit down to write?
I'm a pretty undisciplined writer. I don't have a set schedule … It is hard work. When you're writing on your own, you have to force yourself sometimes. It's pretty painful. … When I'm getting paid, it's a lot easier because I have to do it.
What is the biggest mistake you've made in your career?
Well, I've learned that when you get fearful and start making decisions … based on fear, then you're not being true to yourself and your life's work. I've taken jobs because I'm scared about money… I need to proceed into my work without anxiety because (otherwise) I end up making choices based on fear.
You must know something about rejection and criticism being in this business. How do you handle it?
You have to understand that the ‘nos' are as constructive as the ‘yeses'. The rejection and criticism help, because they kind of steer you towards redefining what you're supposed to be doing with whatever project you're working on. Criticism is how you improve your work.
