About Vered Neta:
My Name is Vered Neta. I am a 13th-generation Israeli, but for the last 28 years, I’ve lived all over the world. Today, I live with my husband in Tenerife in the Canary Islands on an off-the-grid farm, creating a sustainable life through permaculture agriculture and a food forest we are building here on our farm. We live in the middle of a pine forest, and the nearest village to us is 3.5 miles up the mountain, so it's basically me, my husband and our chickens, dogs and birds here. We also have a grown-up daughter who lives in London.
I've always been drawn to books. I was a "book nerd" even before that expression existed. However, I started writing only at the ripe age of 57 after having, as I call it, 3 Past Lives in this lifetime.
I've been an archaeologist, a top manager in high-tech companies and health institutions and, for nearly 30 years, a personal coach, trainer, and motivational speaker while owning and running the fastest-growing training centre for entrepreneurs in The Netherlands.
But after doing all that, I came to realise that I’m not growing anymore. I still had more things I wanted to learn and develop, which is how I came to challenge myself with a new career as a writer. Being heavily dyslexic, as a non-native English speaker, writing novels or scripts seemed like a Mission Impossible for me. Add to it years of non-supportive beliefs that I’m bad at writing and that I am not creative enough, and that sounded like a good challenge to tackle and grow through.
Since I started on this journey in 2017, I've written 4 movies and TV scripts, 2 novels, and I am now developing a TV series and writing my 3rd novel.
The main reason I am writing is that I want to use this medium of stories, whether novels or movie scripts, to inspire people to live a full life. I believe we all deserve to live up to our potential. I believe that when humankind focuses on fulfilling their potential, we can create a better world. My main purpose in writing is to bring kindness and harmony into the world.
What inspires you to write?
As I said, what inspires me is the belief that there is more light and goodness in the world than darkness. I want people to strive to fulfil their greatest potential. I believe that when we do it as a society the world will become a better place. My purpose in writing is to bring kindness and positivity into the world.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
This is an unfair question. I have so many of them. I used to be a lonely child, and books were my haven. I used to say that people can disappoint and betray you, but books are always there for you, so I surrounded myself with books.
I would go through periods of reading the Classics like Dickens and Jane Austin and the Bronte Sisters, and then expand to Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy and Kafka and, on the other side of the world, authors like Gabriel García Márquez and Paulo Coelho.
Today, my favourite genres are historical fiction, fantasy and women's literature, but I also read many non-fiction books about philosophy, personal development, spirituality and, of course, the craft of writing.
So, as you can see, I have an eclectic influence. What they all inspired me to write about was human nature and human relationships. They inspired me to write stories that would bring light into the world, even during hard and dark times, stories of hope, kindness and love.
Tell us about your writing process.
In the battle between “Plotters” and “Pantsers”, I am definitely on the side of the “Plotters”. I can’t think of starting to write without a structure or a goal for that specific writing period. The thought of staring at the blank page is so scary for me. I have to start by having a clear idea, structure and goal in front of me before even sitting to write the poetic part of the writing.
I start with a huge Whiteboard that I have on my wall in my office, and from there, I use the Beat sheet option in Final Draft Software, whether it would be for scripts of novels, I MUST have a beat sheet before I start writing.
As part of my "Plotter", I create what is called "Bible", where I describe the characters in general, but not to too many details as otherwise I will get lost. That way, I know where I am going, but I leave space for the creative part to appear once I start writing and the characters take off the page and lead me.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I'm a very auditory person, so when I finally sit to write, it's a dangerous period at home as I keep on talking as I write. Therefore, there is always a sign outside my office on the door: "If you hear any loud talking from this room, it's only me talking to myself, so there is no need to take it to heart or respond."
What advice would you give other writers?
I think my best advice would be – NEVER GIVE UP. This one goes together with keep learning, keep experimenting and most of all, make sure you learn and grow through the process of writing.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I always start with the traditional route, which is submissions to agents, agencies, micro-press and first-digital. But when that doesn't go through, I go for self-publishing. As I have a very strong background in marketing I know how to make it successful, although that is my least enjoyable part of the process.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It is all about adapting. As a human society, we will always want STORIES. It doesn't matter in what format it would come, whether hieroglyphs on the walls of the pyramids pictures in caves, or written pages or digital, people would always want to read good stories. Our job as writers is to make sure that we create the best story
What genres do you write?: Historical fiction, Women's Fiction
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Vered Neta Home Page Link
Link To Vered Neta Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
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LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
