How I Get - and Stay! - Inspired

motivation v discipline and stealing like a magpie

How to Build a Life is a newsletter for people bang in the thick of life’s mess and mayhem, who are still trying to find the magic. It’s written by me, Laura Jane Williams, author of 12 (!) books. I’m almost 40, a solo parent by choice, decorate my house like a tart’s boudoir, and lift very heavy weights. Those four things are my entire personality.

My latest rom-com is Enemies to Lovers, and I am the author of teen series Taylor Blake is a Legend too.

I walked into the gym feeling high as a kite on Monday, announcing, ‘I’ve just had such a creatively fulfilling hour, lads!’ because yes, I am so obnoxiously grand that I declare things nobody else cares about this way. Life is a performance, people, and rewards those who take centre stage!!*

(*not strictly true, but poetic enough)

I write for an hour every day before the gym, in the car, in between breakfast club drop-off for my kid and my training slot. It’s a private gym. I only mention it’s a private gym because otherwise it doesn’t make sense that I’d sit in the car for an hour when I could, to all intents and purposes, just… go in and do my workout?? A private gym means I have a specific time my PT starts, and I can’t go in before then. Also, I’m not sure what the point of going to a private gym is if you can’t occasionally slip into conversation Oh yes, the private gym I go to la-dee-da I’m very fancy.

It turns out an hour in the car is the perfect amount of time to get stuck in for the day, because you can’t just pop in a load of laundry in the car, or maybe fit in another slice of toast and just rearrange this bookshelf or clean the loo or check if that annoying neighbour has parked his stupid truck in the way of the bad corner again. Personally, having this precious hour makes me focus and do. the. work. because I am very much the founding member of team “feels better to do the thing than regret not doing the thing”.

As in the gym, as in writing: don’t wait for motivation, use your discipline.

me, right now this second, as i draft this note to you in the car park OF THE PRIVATE GYM

On this particular day, Monday morning, like I said, I was working on character profiles for the two leads in my 2026 book. I don’t always work this way - each book asks something different of me in terms of how I plan it, and for this one it needs to be totally character-driven and then the plot will reveal itself, instead of me planning the plot and building characters to then serve that plot. I know my protagonists’ star signs, family dynamic, dark secret, attachment style, exercise schedule and preferred social media platform. I’m having a blast!

‘A 2026 book,’ said Cheryl, acknowledging the grandiose declaration of my morning. ‘God, I don’t know how you do it. All these books, and then your newsletter twice a week too. How do you stay so inspired?’

I trundled off to the loo because I can’t exercise if there’s even a thimble-full of liquid in my bladder, and pondered such a thing. How do I stay inspired? I mused inwardly. And then I thought, huh, if I figure out the answer I should write about that. I was inspired by her comment to unpick the notion of inspiration, so I suppose that’s my first suggestion: pay attention. Ideas are everywhere, if you listen.