Welcome!
How to Build a Life is a newsletter by bestselling author Laura Jane Williams, for people bang in the thick of life’s mess and mayhem - but who are still trying to find the magic.
Hi! I’m Laura.
Grazia magazine once said that I am a ‘general all-round-speaker of what-is-in-our-heads’.
Stylist said my honesty and voice are unique.
A one-time dating columnist, Marie Claire’s #BreakFree from Fear Ambassador, and called a ‘Happiness Expert’ by The Independent, the cornerstone of all my work - be it fiction or real life - is this…
going all in on the adventure of your life.
I’ve published 12 books.
Right now I’m in my love stories era. My latest rom-com for adults is Enemies to Lovers - despite the title, knowing how it ends is just the beginning. I also just released a book for teens (or anyone who once was a teen!) Taylor Blake is a Legend. She’s good at getting noticed but bad at getting kissed, god bless her.
Keep a look-out for my upcoming novels in 2025. The second Taylor Blake installment is Taylor Blake Seizes the Day, where she’s fighting for fairness but flirting for fun, and my next grown-up romance is Love at First Sight.
I started my writing career with books like Ice Cream for Breakfast and The Life Diet, books about figuring out how to get out of our own way to live happier, more bullsh*t-free lives. I also wrote about my life in columns for both Grazia and Red Magazine. I was an OG blogger back in the day, too. This newsletter is like getting back to that. It’s a nice feeling.
My words have been featured everywhere from The Guardian to Glamour, Stylist to The Telegraph, The Metro, Buzzfeed, Red, Closer, Bella and The Daily Mail, as well as across the BBC and on Sky News.
I have run online writing workshops with thousands of participants from all around the world, and live events at major corporate events including with Soho House, Pinterest, Benefit Cosmetics, and at Stylist Live.
So why should you sign-up to How to Build a Life?
When you subscribe to the paying membership, you’ll get full access to the newsletter and publication archives. I write posts you can read in the time it takes the kettle to boil, twice a week - no links, no recommendations about what to watch or read or wear. I’m not here to add to your to-do list. I’m here to say wow. Could somebody maybe take a few things off our to-do lists? Do you feel the same? Didn’t we all think it was going to calm down next week? Why does next week never come?
How to Build a Life is stories about about how I'm almost 40, and in the thick of it: parenting, deadlines, trying to lose that double chin, paying the mortgage, painting the kitchen, and occasionally? maybe? trying to have some fun? It's a juggle, and I'm tired. I hope we can figure it out together. Because hard as it is, sometimes it’s really freakin’ beautiful, too. See you in the comments section to talk it out.
Most content is for paying subscribers
…Because I believe that writers should be paid for their work. At £5 a month for twice-weekly posts, that works out as less than 60p a pop. What else can you get for 60p? NOTHING, THAT’S WHAT. But if you’re still not sure if How To Build a Life is for you, how about I treat you to 10% off for the next 12 months?
Get yourself on the mailing list, and join us in figuring out how we might not only just survive, but thrive. (lol, jk, we won’t thrive. But we might giggle a bit more and probs feel less alone.)
And just for fun, a few last things about me: I can squat 95 kilos for 3 reps. I am a single parent by choice. I became a parent through adoption. My own parents are my best friends. I have a first-class honours in Creative Writing and Media Writing. I’ve lived in Italy, Bali, India, Russia, London and am now in the Peak District, England. I am currently decorating my new house, and consider my style to be just a little bit “bad taste”. I’m trying to lose 65 pounds and I’m 30 pounds in. I’m partial to a protein iced coffee. I will never get a pet. I’m a terrible driver. My greatest achievement is completing a Tough Mudder. My second greatest achievement is knowing that completing a Tough Mudder once was enough. I read exclusively on my Kindle. I believe in love, and boundaries, and chocolate cake. Oh, and I’m exhausted.
