Weekly Unfinished Tales and Short Stories from our Dataset
This daily collection presents a curated selection of short stories drawn from the extensive dataset of our ‘Unfinished Tales’ creative arts and narrative research program. Each entry offers a unique glimpse into diverse genres and narrative structures, reflecting the broad experimental scope of our ongoing interdisciplinary exploration into storytelling. These narratives, often presented in their raw or evolving forms, highlight the dynamic potential within our project’s framework.
Beyond their inherent entertainment value, these stories serve as invaluable artifacts for our core research objectives. They provide rich material for investigating the efficacy of AI-assisted storytelling in generating innovative plot points and character developments, while simultaneously informing our talent development initiatives. By analyzing the creative processes behind these tales, we gain critical insights into the evolving skills required for creative professionals navigating AI integration and immersive technologies, fostering digital literacy and interdisciplinary approaches in contemporary narrative arts.
Today’s Unfinished Tales and Short Stories
The Shortcut
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Boys Love (BL) | Genre: Slice of Life
A damp, wind-swept path behind the university science labs, covered in slick mud and rotting leaves, where an art student fights a losing battle with gravity and a heavy prop.
The Payphone at Sal’s
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Cinematic | Genre: Coming-of-Age
A dusty, forgotten Italian restaurant on a rainy autumn afternoon, where two aging industry professionals attempt to ignore a persistent intrusion.
The Heavy Quilt
Author: Tony Eetak | Category: Post-Apocalyptic Survival | Genre: Domestic Thriller
Jack sits in his makeshift living room, trapped by his own mind and body, observing the minute details of his decay while his wife, Martha, tends to the house with unnerving energy.
Cold Stew at Table Four
Author: Jamie F. Bell | Category: Boys Love (BL) | Genre: Slice of Life
A crowded, noisy boarding school cafeteria during a heavy autumn rainstorm. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and filled with the underlying tension of surveillance.
The Silver Spoon Drop
Author: Art Borups Corners | Category: Cinematic | Genre: Political Thriller
A grand, drafty dining hall in a high-security mountain lodge, where the clinking of silverware masks the sound of secrets being traded.
Design Notes and Applied Research
This collection, spanning Slice of Life, Coming-of-Age, Domestic and Political Thrillers, alongside Boys Love (BL), Cinematic narratives, and Post-Apocalyptic Survival, demonstrates the rich tapestry of contemporary storytelling. These diverse narratives challenged participants to hone critical skills, including intricate plot development, nuanced character psychology, immersive world-building, and compelling visual narrative techniques. Such an expansive creative exercise directly aligns with our project’s goal of advancing artistic capabilities within an evolving media landscape.
The varied stylistic and thematic approaches within this collection further underscore the dynamic digital transformation occurring across the arts. From Boys Love (BL)’s online prevalence to the cinematic focus on digital production, these works illustrate how new platforms and tools expand artistic reach and creative possibility. This project proved to be an engaging experiment, offering valuable insights into evolving narrative techniques and audience interaction. It was a thoroughly enjoyable process, affirming the vibrant potential of contemporary storytelling in a digitally-enhanced environment.
About the Project
The Unfinished Tales and Short Stories collection was an interdisciplinary arts and narrative storytelling experiment in 2025. It was part of a creative arts and participatory research project by The Arts Incubator Winnipeg and the Art Borups Corners collectives. It focuses on two key areas: AI-Assisted Storytelling and Scriptwriting, exploring AI tools for generating ideas, plot structures, and story arcs; and Talent Development and Training, studying digital skills, literacy and training needs for creative professionals by experimenting with AI and immersive technologies to inform future projects. Funding and support were generously provided by the Ontario Arts Council Multi and Inter-Arts Projects program and the Government of Ontario. We thank them for supporting the arts, digital transformation, and applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) research.
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