PolyProse

I just finished watching “Fear Street: Prom Queen.” It is a 2025 Netflix movie. Like most Netflix horror movies, it was somewhat lacking in delivery. I was in the mood for a slasher flick, and I guess it did a good enough job at scratching the itch.

The movie is about a girl with a dark past. The past is unrevealed, but there are hints suggesting that her father was murdered around prom night. Out of all the people in town, her mother was falsely accused of being the one to stab him. It resulted in the cancellation of their prom.

In the present, the main character decides to run for prom queen. She’s the underdog, as the much more popular girls are also in the running. However, her chances of winning continue to climb as the prom queen candidates go missing one after another.

Towards the end, the slasher is revealed. The motivation is acceptable for the film, but it lacks thematic and emotional depth. There is a twist further on, and more of the main character’s history is revealed. The ending is satisfying enough to get my brain thinking.

So, I asked myself, how far am I willing to go for things that I want? I can easily say that I won’t become a slasher to get my book traditionally published. I wouldn’t pull a Cait Corrain and leave negative comments and poor ratings on other debut novels to increase my chances. But I would pull multiple all-nighters rereading my chapters. I would spend hours refusing to move, reading through 10,000 words in one sitting to revise different sections of my novel.

I would be willing to get my feelings hurt. I am prepared to send queries and receive nothing in return. I would do anything within my power to gain the authority of a professional writer. Even building a website and writing a post every day, which is likely to receive little traction.

Speaking of PolyProse.com, I wanted to thank some of you. I don’t want to mention you by name, as I’m not sure if you’d be comfortable. However, there are a few people who have liked almost every one of my posts. I always look forward to receiving the notification with your profile picture in the corner. I’ve also received my first subscription, and I ran around shouting, “Someone subscribed!” I’ve started looking at your websites, and I’m close to buying a book one of you wrote.

But back to the question at hand! I would go as far as I deem morally correct. I’d run as fast as I could and as long as I needed until I hit the wall of desperation. At that point, I’d have to wipe my hands clean and accept that the project was a failure. I’d just go back to the drawing board. No prom queens need to die over that.