Laura Jane Williams

[dannythegurl]

This is hilarious. She wrote two crap memoirs and was fed a plot based on someone else's bestseller, called her book woke and a bestseller (genuinely, it was neither, I'm a bookseller - I read it, and I've seen the numbers) - so realised the only way she's going to make money (she went very quiet on the Life Diet, and her next novel will bomb) is to push the teaching and charge £99 a pop to followers. F R A U D.

 

[Chattykathy]

Absolutely screaming that she’s shared a screen shot of a text message with a “friend” but she’s clearly not saved the girls number because it says at the top “maybe Meg”

 

[jecca]

I followed her then bought her book Becoming as it sounded like something I’d be into. She sounded so big headed in it. First the guy at her uni fancied her then she went to American where the guy fancied her. I couldn’t read anymore. I wanted to like her and the book & noticed she’ll only reply on Instagram if you’re famous or influencer she doesn’t care for the common people which is shooting her self in the foot as all those guys will get your book for free love whereas we pay. Unfollowed as I’m just not interested in her deluded ramblings.

I followed her too until yesterday so I have come to all this quite late. I used to quite enjoy her writing and some of her stories were quite fun, but like a lot of people I started to find her quite self absorbed and this turned me off her a bit. I know that being a writer, most of her material comes from her point of view and so will obviously be somewhat "me, me, me" but something about her started to grate on me roughly around the time she got with (and broke up with) the Italian guy. My friend and I have both engaged with her lots on social media, but she has never responded. I realise this is because we were either very boring or just not important enough and of course, nobody is owed a reply, but it does seem odd how she talks about how engagged her audience is all the time but seems to talk AT them mostly. I follow other writers who write about their own lives and experiences and don't find them as self absorbed so I'm not really sure what it is about LJW specifically, though I agree with what another person said here that she does seem lonely.
I do think some of her writing is good but I found her book "Becoming" really hard to get on board with because as someone has already said, she sounded so big headed! It's really difficult to constructively criticise someone for coming accross self centred because they will nearly always pass it off as "being brave" (or in this case, write a long ranty Instagram post, story and probably an article where they reel off all the many reasons why their behavior is acceptable using dramatic statements about "flaws", being "whole" or "wide open" and using it as an opportunity to write something flowery about how wonderful they are.

I had no idea about wonderful u and her no longer being friends. Wonder what happened?

 

[majestic26]

Everything she says has to be so flowery and literary. Her cousin didn't pop round to lend her a book, he came round to 'press it into [her] hands'. It's a bit exhausting reading her captions sometimes.

 

[Juicy89]

Throughout the pandemic several journalists have been running online pitching courses, some for free, others for around £20-30. And these are journalists who’s entire job revolves around pitching and getting commissioned. The fact that Laura charges £350 for her pitching course is scandalous!

 

[Scunci]

So I've always found her quite smug and faux deep, but she didn't overly bother me. However, her latest "I feel hurt" pity party was so hypocritical that I've unfollowed her.

She calls out people here for making assumptions about her but has no problem at all inciting over 500 people to make their own terrible judgements about people they've never met. And she thanks them for it! Speaking truth to bullshit does not make you jealous, unhappy, or a hater. I can't stand the inability these insta people have to healthily process criticism. She manages to make herself look as though she's rising above but she's really just stirring the point.

It's incredibly revealing.

Also, I'm in no way a royalist, so not saying this because I want to defend the Royals. But this whole uproar about this thread sullying her name seems even more hypocritical when she spent a large amount of time recently referring to Prince William as a "shagger" and making out that he had an affair as though it was fact. So she can thoughtlessly call out someone she does not even know as an adulterer and that's ok, but we can't say her eyebrows are a bit dodgy Haha? If I remember right she actually justified her comments against Will by saying that he's funded by us so shouldn't be protected for bad behavior. Does she forget who is funding her current lifestyle? Because that would be us and the people that follow her. The only reason she has book deals and writing gigs is because of her online engagement.

 

[ChipsAhoy]

I’m glad she’s been called out on her page. She thinks she’s untouchable and yes having done the writing course. Being totally foolish and getting sucked into her pitch about it a few years ago I can confirm it is an ABSOLUTE CON!

Assuming it’s these comments? View attachment 408995View attachment 408996View attachment 408997

Edited to add: this is obviously either a commentator on this thread or a lurker. It’s basically what has been said several times!

Not sure how I feel personally. It’s a valid point but I’ve always been against contacting Tattle subjects directly; just makes it easier for them to dismiss us all as a bunch of trolls.

She could also do Insta lives with previous “students” rather than just making up testimonials under the name of “Penny”

 

[JammyEmmy]

Yeah think it's fair to say that writers are influenced by outside sources, but when you are just literally ripping off someone else's storyline that's not just a passing coincidence! Like her rip off of The Note.

She fell out with her Superlatively Worderful mate Meg - then sold the story to a magazine. Her #irl mate Emma Gannon, they had a massive fall out, and EG has now done her own novel. Her school mate that was in Becoming, Mary Beth has never been seen again after LJW humiliated her on her hen do. That other girl who she went to the hen do and wedding - long gone. Even the Grandma who she used for publicity has never been mentioned again When she had the shared house in London she used to post about her housemates, then suddenly tried to make it look like she lived on her own?! I think she must be lonely.

 

[Everly]

I often thought I was the only one who thought she was incredibly fake then this forum came along. Thing is, she’s read this forum but instead of taking it on board I think she’s got worse!! For years I felt like her narrative was what an amazing person/writer/friend/shagger she is and it’s never been about her audience and wanting to have a chat but about HER. Everything is part of her story. I feel like she really pushes her relationship with her brother because to her having a gay brother in an interracial relationship who lives in America makes her look quirky in turn. She can sell herself but the person she’s selling is one a lot of people are no longer buying.

She’s not ready to become a mum and she needs to step back from online and speaking into the void to figure out who she is without a fucking yoga retreat in the Sahara, a Portuguese boyfriend or crap prints on the wall from Oliver bonas #gifted

 

[dannythegurl]

And she literally did a free workshop for Fabulous magazine last month on the same subject. Will reuse the material and make £££ (she's said "spaces are limited", which is a ploy to get people to jump on board quickly)

Well spaces aren't limited are they?! It's online and doesn't involve her having to read and feed back on a load of ideas (that she'll nick), so that's just trying to drive people to sign up. I'm not on Twitter but I wonder if Dolly and Pandora can be alerted to this with an @ - she's nicking their intellectual property now to make money. I know the new book isn't doing that well so she's trying a money making scheme, but really. Even if it's only the 35 people who watch her interviews (Isabel Broom one was painful) who sign up, that's still £3500 odd quid made on a Sunday scam.

 

[majestic26]

I remember not long ago she was watching Strictly, except it wasn't just Strictly, it was a multi-story ode to Shirley Ballas, an older woman who was dressed in a glamorous way and knew a lot about her field and wasn't ashamed to put forth that knowledge.

Reader, it was just Strictly. It's not that deep.

 

[xoxo]

I felt for Laura too when she found this forum. I was a BIG BIG fan of hers, and I actually really like her writing. But there was always a little niggle in the back of my mind that she never seemed quite as nice, or honest or as authentic as she made out.

Things like this little outfit story are just vile... it was just so throwaway, to include SA as a theme. No thought for someone reading it who could be upset by it, then getting petulant when someone had the temerity to call her on it, only a few minutes after her trigger warning edit.
I feel like we should be able to expect better behaviour from her, as someone who bases most of her work on the lives and lived experiences of women.

I guess the problem with instagram stories/blogging is that influencers let you into their "life" (or a carefully curated version of it...) and as the audience, you end up feeling you have quite an intimate connection with them. Rightly or wrongly, that's the power of instagram stories and blogging. And it means that any indiscretion, small or large, feels really magnified.

In the case of LJW, I just feel really let down when she does stuff like the SA reference, like I made a mistake and misjudged her character. It's like being let down by a mate you hold in high regard. I know she's not my mate, but the false intimacy from instagram stories makes you feel like she is.

Apols, I've talked my way in a circle here. I don't think she's the worst person in the world, but I'm just not really a fan of hers any more.

 

[Higuyswelcometomychannel]

And what grandkids? Don’t you need kids for that, thought you were happily child free LJW?

 

[Villanelle]

See what I don’t get is the arrogance of ‘how dare anyone say anything negative about me ever’ rather than whining about it, she had an opportunity to acknowledge that people will always think and say things about other people but if she’s confident in herself then that’s what matters. Isn’t that a better message to put out than expect everyone in the world to love you?
It doesn’t make you a troll to say things on here, this is a safe place to have a moan, akin to having a coffee with a friend. Would she prefer people pepper her IG comments with negativity? Just don’t read it if you don’t want to hear it, you don’t hide in your friends cupboards to hear every gossipy thing they might say about you!

Laura I follow you and enjoy what you have to say most of the time but I don’t think what’s been said here was particularly bad compared to other threads to be honest. Missed opportunity to be a grown up about it and instead you’ve just come across a bit arrogant and entitled which backs up what people on here have said X

 

[Lanavalentine]

She’s terribly self-indulgent isn’t she? Always going on about taking naps in the daytime, highlights lots of useful passages from the many many books she reads. Always looking at the ‘self’ and self-care. Who has time for this navel-gazing?! She’s like the friend you put off meeting because you come away drained from hearing about them talking about themselves/their self-care/their ailments while you’re busy trying to prop up and support 100 people. The single white privilege in her chat with Toff was revolting really.

Yes! And everything in her life is a “ritual”, which I find is code for trying to add meaning to everyday tasks because you have no personality or responsibilities.

 

[Oohthedrama]

I got an advanced copy of her new book from Netgalley two days ago and it’s shit
I didn’t even know she had a thread here until I saw her name pop up I struggled through it but I’m glad it was free.
It was a struggle.

 

[Ellabella]

I couldn't stop staring at her shiny chin.

Which one?

 

[Skiddidlydaddle]

The thing I find really odd about her is the extremity of it all. She had a bad relationship with the Italian guy, she becomes celibate and swears off relationships.

For whatever reason the adoption has not worked out, now she is "childless but not through choice" or however she is wording it. It's just so weird to close your options like this. I mean, she could feasibly meet someone in the next few years (she is mid 30s?) and have a child with him or use a sperm donor or use a surrogate. Anything could happen, life is not fixed in the way she seems to think it is.

 

[OliveGal]

 

[Skiddidlydaddle]

Nine paragraphs of bullshit about what a Remarkable Woman she is before she gets to the point: buy a ticket for my event and I’ll tell you more of the same.

Such an ugly and narcissistic way to live.

She's like those people that believe in "manifesting". Tell yourself the same thing over and over again and it comes true. I think she probably does believe all she says superficially but deep down feels a deep sense of failure that she has not found this profound love she craves and motherhood.

NOTE: I absolutely do not believe marriage and kids are the route to happiness or what a woman should aspire to. But, Laura does seem to want this standard type of life and because she doesn't have it tries to portray her lifestyle choices as being profound and full of meaning, a path.