INTERVIEW: 'Sweet Magnolias' Showrunner Sheryl J. Anderson
"Put your whole heart into every project -- even if you don't truly love it. You still need to love your work." - Sheryl J. Anderson“Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people” Colossians 3:23 Sheryl J. Anderson is a clear example of a woman who serves both heartily and willingly. For over 20 years she has steadily worked as a TV writer/producer (‘Charmed’, ‘Ties That Bind’, etc.) and it’s all led to her most recent project, the super charming ‘Sweet Magnolias’. Not only was the show trending at #1 on Netflix, but it has also attracted a solid following who are eager for a season two:
Anderson is definitely someone we look up to at Sisterhood Cinema and we hope you can learn a little from her interview - we certainly did! Enjoy!
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1. A lot of people want to be screenwriters but have anxiety around writing their first script. Did you ever feel that? How did you go about writing your first script?
I started writing in school, so I had the incentive of a deadline. Frankly, I still write best with a deadline. When you have a limited amount of time to finish a project, you don't have the luxury of doubting and second-guessing: you have to write. Quite often, writers get in their own way by thinking they have to get the whole draft right the first time. No one gets it right the first time. You can't let anxiety and self-censoring keep you silent. The only way you get better is by writing more, and you can't write more until you start writing.
2. 'Sweet Magnolias' is a little different from other shows on Netflix. It's very wholesome. How has your work at the Hallmark Channel prepared you to create a show like this?
‘Sweet Magnolias’ is a romantic drama, a genre Netflix is exploring more deeply. I've only done a couple of scripts at Hallmark. While I enjoyed them, the roots of ‘Sweet Magnolias’ are in the novels by Sherryl Woods upon which the series is based, and in the prior series I've done that are about the power of female friendship and the strength of families (born and created).
3. Most of our readers are women who work in film/tv. What advice would you give to them to have a sustainable career like yours?
(1) Put your whole heart into every project -- even if you don't truly love it. You still need to love your work. (2) Learn from every script, every encounter, every project. Every effort should be stronger and sharper than the last one. It's how an artist grows. (3) Respect the people you work with, and appreciate their talent the way you want them to appreciate yours. (4) Stick up for yourself and your room/crew/team. Nothing in this business gets done by one person. (5) Work from a place of joy and faith, not a place of fear and anger.
4. I read that you are a screenwriting instructor. What is a consistent theme that you notice that keeps screenwriters from getting paid for their work?
The most consistent problem I see in newer writers is their lack of willingness to rewrite. Your first draft isn't going to be strong enough to get you a job. And once you do get a job, being able to take notes and incorporate them into your next draft in a seamless way is crucial. In television, you have to take notes from other writers, the network, the studio, the department heads, the director, the actors... Every note may not be valid, but every note has to be heard. It's an invaluable talent to be able to hear someone's concerns and pivot to a solution, rather than get defensive. I've pointed out problems with a script to students and had them tell me, "You just don't get it." My response is, "And whose responsibility is that?"
5. What's next for you?
I have no idea! There are several projects I'd like to do, but we'll have to see what comes together next. Faith is a big part of my journey -- in work and in life. (Matthew 6:34)
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