Author notes and process posts give a glimpse into the creative journey, showing how stories grow, pause, and remain unfinished.
The Purpose of Author Notes and Process Posts
Not every story arrives fully formed. Some begin as a line scribbled in winter. Some stall halfway through. Some end quietly instead of neatly. At Arts Incubator, we don’t see that as a problem — we see it as part of the work.
That’s why we sometimes publish author notes and process posts alongside our stories. These aren’t explanations or behind-the-scenes marketing. They’re not there to tell you how to read a piece, or what it’s “about.” They’re simply a way of being honest about how something came into existence.
What They Include
An author note might say where a story started. A process post might describe a decision, a limit, or something that was intentionally left unresolved. Sometimes it just names the moment when a piece stopped. These posts make space for the reality of creative work — interruptions, constraints, weather, place, mood, time pressure, uncertainty. They show that art doesn’t always emerge in a straight line.
Example: Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
Our Unfinished Tales and Short Stories project is a perfect example. These pieces are shared without forcing closure, polish, or resolution. Some end mid-thought. Some pause at a moment of tension. Some are fragments that never grew into full narratives — and weren’t meant to.
Rather than treating these works as drafts or failures, we treat them as honest artifacts of a creative process. Author notes give us a place to say why a story stopped where it did, or why it remains open. They help frame unfinished work not as abandoned, but as intentionally incomplete.
Why Author Notes and Process Posts Are Useful
For readers, they provide context without dictating interpretation, making unfinished work approachable and meaningful. For writers and artists, they normalize hesitation, revision, and incomplete work. For discoverability, each note is searchable content that adds keywords, context, and depth to the site. For community, they show that Arts Incubator values process and experimentation, not just polished outcomes.
Acknowledging Place and Context
Process posts also acknowledge place. Many of our stories are shaped by winter, by Winnipeg, by waiting, by transit delays, by silence, by long nights. These details don’t always belong inside the fiction itself — but they shape it all the same. Writing about place as process helps us name that influence without forcing it into the narrative.
Importantly, these notes aren’t confessions. They don’t ask for sympathy or validation. They’re practical, reflective, and grounded. They treat creative work as work — thoughtful, intentional, sometimes unresolved.
Leaving Work Unfinished
Not everything needs closure. Not every relationship needs an ending. Not every story needs to explain itself. Author notes give us a place to say: this piece ends here because this is where it felt honest to stop.
In a culture that rewards speed and certainty, slowing down to talk about process is a quiet act. It pushes back against the idea that everything must be optimized, completed, or packaged as content.
We don’t publish author notes to explain ourselves. We publish them to make space:
Space for unfinished ideas
Space for emerging voices
Space for work that’s still becoming
If you read them, thank you. If you skip them, that’s fine too. They’re simply part of how we practice being open about how art actually gets made.
About the Author
