Growing Up and Breaking Out
A story fragment is like a window left slightly ajar. You can see into a room, catch a glimpse of movement, but the full context remains obscured. These unfinished tales are snapshots of larger worlds, offering the beginning of a journey or the heat of a conflict without resolving the tension. It is up to the reader to construct the surrounding architecture.
This initiative investigates the role of applied artificial intelligence research within the creative arts. We are looking at how digital tools influence the mechanics of scriptwriting and storytelling, aiming to enhance digital literacy through a practical collaboration between author and algorithm.
Focusing on the transition from youth to adulthood, this selection blends Coming-of-Age themes with the kinetics of Action-Adventure and the magic of Urban Fantasy. The sole author for this set of stories is Jamie F. Bell, whose work here also touches on the humor and pathos of Slice of Life Dramedy.
Consider these pages a starting point. We encourage you to take the baton where the writer left it and envision the path forward.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
This selection traverses the emotional landscape of coming-of-age tales and urban fantasy, balancing the lightness of slice of life dramedy with the intensity of grimdark fantasy and psychological thrillers. Our platform is at the forefront of the new era of publishing, utilizing creative technology to curate short stories that appeal to both Young Adult audiences and fans of expository contemporary fiction. We strive to enhance digital literacy by exploring how AI-assisted narrative techniques can revitalize traditional action-adventure tropes for a digital-first readership.
Percussion of Rain Against Bronze
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Psychological Thriller | Genre: Coming-of-Age
The sky broke without warning, a sudden, violent tearing of grey fabric that sent everyone in the park scattering for cover. Now, the world has shrunk to the small circle of relative dryness beneath a large, black umbrella, held aloft by two boys who aren’t speaking. The air is thick with the smell of wet earth and ozone, and the roar of the rain on the taut nylon is the only sound between them.
The Unspooling Drift
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Slice of Life | Genre: Contemporary Fiction
The first snowfall of winter descends upon the town, muffling sounds and softening edges. A single figure, Johannes, stands by a frost-kissed window, the quiet hum of an old refrigerator the only other sound. The world outside transforms, but the world within remains stubbornly, painfully clear.
Percussive Maintenance and Other Coping Mechanisms
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Grimdark Fantasy | Genre: Slice of Life / Dramedy
The warehouse-turned-event-space echoed with a special kind of panic. Half-hung fairy lights drooped like sad tinsel, the sound system emitted a low, threatening hum, and the air smelled of fresh paint, industrial cleaner, and Mannie’s rapidly escalating fear. It was four hours until go-time, and the whole affair had the distinct feeling of a train wreck in slow, agonizing motion.
The Weight of Iron and Doubt
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Young Adult (YA) | Genre: Action-Adventure
A bitter, late autumn wind, sharp with the tang of rusted metal and forgotten industry, whipped through the skeletal remains of the old processing plant. Moonlight, thin and bruised, struggled to penetrate the cloud of dust kicked up by something large, something relentless, moving in the gloom. The air thrummed with a low, predatory hum, vibrating through the cracked concrete and the very bones of the teenagers who pressed themselves against cold, unforgiving steel.
Where the Leylines Intersect with the By-Laws
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Expository | Genre: Urban Fantasy
The room beneath City Hall was technically a records archive, but its true purpose was far older. The air smelled of ancient paper, stone dust, and the faint, crackling scent of ozone that clung to places of power. Fluorescent lights flickered, fighting a losing battle against shadows that seemed to drink the light. Here, where the city’s ley lines converged, the Unseen Arts Council met to manage the delicate balance between the mundane and the magical.
About the Project
By design, these stories have no beginning and no end. Many stories are fictional, but many others are not. They are snapshots from worlds that never fully exist, inviting you to imagine what comes before and what happens next. We had fun exploring this project, and hope you will too.
The Unfinished Tales and Short Stories collection is part of an experimental, creative arts and research program by The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners collectives. Each chapter is an interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling experiment focused on two key areas: AI-Assisted Scriptwriting, where researchers explore using AI to generate story ideas, plot structures, and alternative story arcs to enhance creative development; and Talent Development and Training, where the project studies the necessary skills for creative professionals to manage AI and immersive technologies in production, helping to inform future training curricula. The project was made possible with funding and support from the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program and the Government of Ontario. We thank them for supporting the arts, digital transformation research and innovation in Ontario.
About the Author
