Hilary Layne: Video Essays

Fanfiction Has Destroyed Writing (and Everything Else)

Hilary Layne — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:34:20 GMT

The pervasive (and growing) influence of fanfiction is destroying all storytelling across all mediums. But what is it about fanfiction that has seeped into mainstream writing? And how has it had such widespread, negative influence?

Link to the essay here on my website with sources and further information.

NOTE: I can’t find the article I read that expl…

The Antihero Is a Lie

Hilary Layne — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:26:50 GMT

In a world where “heroes” and “villains” have become increasingly difficult to identify, where does the antihero fit? And why have antiheroes become the most popular type of hero in all of storytelling?

Chapters as they appear on Youtube:

0:00 — Intro
1:12 — What Is An “Antihero”?
4:26 — “Heroism” and “Antiheroism” and Morality
6:19 — Flawed Heroes vs Ant…

How Modern Schools Make Terrible Writers (Deliberately)

Hilary Layne — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:15:33 GMT

The American education system definitely has problems, but what if those problems have also killed modern writers’ ability to write well? Why is everyone so reliant on Chat GPT and Grammarly? Why can’t anyone write well? To answer, we have to go back to school...

Here is the page where I have collected all the sources, as well as additional information.

…

Modern Heroes Are Weak and Pathetic

Hilary Layne — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:09:30 GMT

Heroes have become incredibly boring, I think we can all agree. But why is that? What happened? And what can we do about it?

**correction: Rambo First Blood came out in 1982, not 1972, my apologies.

Chapters as they appear on Youtube:

0:00 — Intro
1:43 — Defining “Hero”
4:16 — The Moral Factor
8:32 — The Emotional Factor?
15:55 — The Allure of the Amoral
…

The Absolute Degeneracy of Modern Writing

Hilary Layne — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:00:42 GMT

What’s happening with “women’s literature”? How has romantasy taken over the publishing industry? How did we get here? And what does it mean?

Chapters as they appear on Youtube:

0:00 — Intro
2:37 — The Truth about “Women’s Lit”
7:03 — Why Romantasy Is So Huge
13:07 — Countering the Defenses
22:45 — Do Women Dominate the Industry?
24:50 — Or does Sex Domi…

Modern Villains Are Pitiful and Impotent

Hilary Layne — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 21:54:44 GMT

Why have villains become so pathetic and boring? Where have all the evil, terrifying villains gone? And how did this happen?

Chapters as they appear on Youtube:

1:13 — Intro
8:29 — What is Evil?
12:15 — The Scourge of Postmodernism
16:57 — Sympathetic Villains
21:21 — Example - Paul Spector
27:00 — Example - Mellie Grant
29:47 — Example - Dr. Whitly
31:23…

This Is Why We Never Got Another Lord of the Rings

Hilary Layne — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 21:40:05 GMT

Can the fantasy genre exist without industry formulas? How much does it even matter? The “Golden Age of Fantasy” was probably a little less golden than most people think.

The incredible timing of The Lord of the Rings’ publication in America, the industrialization of the literary industry, and the emergence of a particularly savvy editor all worked toge…