🛠 [Behind the Scenes of Creation] What It Means to "Construct a Story" — The Making of "Code:Mn-137"

Hello, this is Bell note.
Today, I am releasing my new mystery novel, "Code:Mn-137," on the story-posting site "Tales."

In this note, without delving into the plot or spoilers, I would like to talk a little bit about the behind-the-scenes of "how this story came to be and how it took shape."

When we talk about creation, it is easy to think that only the finished text is the "work," but in reality, there is preparation like research, trial and error in structure, and editing work that sometimes involves getting lost along the way.
This novel is one that finally took "shape" after such accumulation.

While this is just a "production memo" written from the perspective of a story lover, I have tried to summarize it in a way that is as easy to understand and as relaxed as possible so that you can enjoy it as a piece of reading.

Of course, I am happiest if you can enjoy the work itself, but—
If you could take even a little interest in the behind-the-scenes of this creation—
And if it makes you think, "Maybe I'll give it a read," that would be the greatest encouragement.

🖋 It All Started with One Essay

The trigger for the story "Code:Mn-137" lies in a small record called "A Story About a Film Director and Movies," which is one piece from the essay series "Jinbutsu Gettan" that I previously posted on note.

I was still young at the time and was in a period of being lost about how I should proceed.
That was when I happened to meet a certain film director.
We only stood and talked for a few minutes, but there is a phrase from that short exchange that I still remember clearly.

"Acquire universal skills."

At first glance, it might sound like ordinary advice.
However, that one phrase became a trigger for something to change within me.

For me, who had a desire to chase dreams but couldn't quite make them feel real, the idea of "acquiring universal skills" was surprisingly fresh and felt tangible.

Since then, I became conscious of the value of learning concrete skills, became interested in the field of film production, and gradually moved closer to that world.

As a result, I didn't work in the film industry for a long time, and I am working in a completely different field now.
Even so, I feel that the experience I gained by taking action at that time has changed form and is still useful in various situations today.

Looking back, perhaps that conversation of just a few minutes gradually changed my way of thinking.
If so, I began to want to leave this event behind in the form of a story, rather than ending it as just a recollection.

A chance encounter between people, one casual word, can affect a person's life more than one might think.
Wouldn't it be interesting if I could depict such things within the fiction of a novel—

That is how I thought about the structure, set the characters, and began the "editing work" of gradually assembling the world of the story called "Code:Mn-137."

🖋 The Beginning of Construction — Plot, Characters, and Worldview

In shaping the story, the first thing that came to mind was a simple question.
"What if that word was a 'warning from the future'?"

A phrase that my past self heard casually.
What if that word was actually a "message" sent from a future self I hadn't met yet—.
And by receiving that message, how does a person face "events that might happen in the future"?

It might be a slightly far-fetched imagination, but this assumption became the seed of the story and began to quietly expand.

Furthermore, I drew upon my past experiences in 3DCG production and non-linear editing to layer a story onto those memories.
The work of handling video is not merely about "showing"; it is also an act of choosing "what to cut and in what order to show it."
In other words, I feel that in a sense, it is also a process of "reconstructing memory."

So, what if a "record of a future that does not exist in memory" were to exist?
What if an editor were to accidentally discover that footage?
With that premise as the axis, the worldview that forms the core of the story began to take shape little by little.

And the characters who support that structure did not feel so much like they were forced into existence, but rather like they naturally emerged within that world.

I feel that rather than being born solely from my imagination, they began to take on their respective roles as if gathering around the act of editing itself.

The characters gathered quietly at the center of the story, each with their own position and background.
Though not flashy, they are beings who carry their own conflicts and thoughts, swaying little by little between the "past" and the "future."

■ Kengo Furusawa 🎥Self-introduction video(120 seconds)

A man who once moved to London dreaming of becoming a film director, but gave up on that path and now works in the "behind-the-scenes" world of video editing.
Although he should have let go of his grand ambitions, lingering regrets and questions remain deep in his heart.
It is through encountering a "silent VTR" that he begins to face the past he had sealed away.

■ Hajime Ueki 🎥Self-introduction video(120 seconds)

A cognitive scientist specializing in AI technology and memory research.
He is an acquaintance of Furusawa and is conducting research that enables the restoration of lost audio and records.
While he struggles between the possibilities of science and the ethics that lie beyond, he is also a person who exudes a certain human warmth.

■ Sachiko Aoshima 🎥Self-introduction video(120 seconds)

A young assistant who was moved by a documentary work of Furusawa's she saw in college and aspired to become a video editor.
Though her experience is still shallow, she possesses a sincere, enthusiastic attitude and a spirit of inquiry, gradually becoming accustomed to the atmosphere of the workplace.
Watching Furusawa's back, she has begun to search for her own "answer as an editor."

By intersecting the differences in the positions, ages, and perspectives of these three, the story expanded beyond a mere "mystery-solving" into a theme that is gradually more complex and profound.

"Memory" and "record",
"Past" and "future",
"Fabrication" and "reality."

Questions containing such conflicts and fluctuations appear quietly, as if seeping into the conversations and actions of the characters.

Who "saw" what?
Is it truly a memory, or is it an imprint caused by recorded footage?
Or could it be that fragments from the future are distorting past events?

In this way, during the process of constructing the plot, I built it while paying attention not only to the connections between scenes,
but also to how the reader's impression changes depending on how they "overlap."

The composition process felt very much like editing a video work.
Boldly cutting unnecessary scenes, adjusting the order so that the meaning is conveyed naturally, and refining the rhythm of stillness and motion, information and white space—

It was about shaping a single world while being conscious not just of arranging the material of words, but also of their "pauses" and "temperature."
I think it was a process like burning landscapes and emotions onto a film of text, rather than a screen.

🎥 The challenge of "showing" a story—Introducing video and AI audio

For this "Code:Mn-137," I wondered if I could convey the worldview of the story in a more three-dimensional way, reaching not just the text of a novel, but also the "senses" of sight and sound.

With that in mind, I set out to produce teaser videos, introductory clips, and character introduction movies.

I once had some involvement in 3DCG and video production work, but that was a long time ago.
The current environment for video editing has evolved beyond comparison to those days; it is now an entirely different world.
Naturally, I do not have professional-level skills, and this video production project was a complete, self-taught challenge.

This was also my first time working with tools like generative AI for video and AI voice synthesis.
At first, I was confused by everything, but as I went through trial and error, I began to see some promising results.

Above all, I think the fact that I had written this story myself made a big difference.

Because I knew this story better than anyone—the atmosphere of each scene, the way the characters speak, and the tone of the direction—there were naturally images and vocal nuances that came to mind.

“I want to film this scene with a quiet pause.”
“I want this character to speak in a slightly softer voice.”

Relying on those instincts, and using my own methods—since I am neither a professional nor well-versed in the latest technology—I continued the work of gradually giving shape to fragments of the story through video and audio.

The videos I produced fall into three main categories.
While none of them are anywhere near professional quality, I worked on each one through trial and error, hoping that they might spark even a little interest in the world of the story.

■ Teaser Video (40 seconds)

The first thing I produced was a short video capturing the beginning of the story.
Focusing on the symbolic scene of a 'silent video,' I attempted to visually recreate the quiet tension as the video editor, Furusawa, plays back the footage and discovers what appears to be his 'future self.' The expression is very simple, but by being conscious of leaving space in the direction, I hope to convey an unsettling atmosphere where 'something seems about to begin, yet nothing has been said yet.'

■ Introductory Video (120 seconds)

I also produced a slightly longer video to convey the overall atmosphere of the story.
Here, I aimed to express the quiet anxiety that underlies the work and the creeping presence of a 'mystery' through the rhythm of the visuals and sound.
For the narration, I gave a 'voice' to one of the characters, Sachiko Aoshima, using AI voice synthesis.
The structure is designed for her to navigate the entrance to the story as if she were speaking to the reader. By layering dialogue, visuals, and music, I was conscious of letting the viewer feel the silence before 'something happens.'

■ Character Introduction Videos (120 seconds each)

For the three main characters—Kenji Furusawa, Sachiko Aoshima, and Hajime Ueki—I prepared 'self-introduction style' videos using AI voices.
Rather than focusing on their roles within the story, the direction has a slightly more casual distance,
as if they are saying to the reader or viewer, 'This is who I am.'
I started this attempt with the intention of making the atmosphere of the story feel more accessible, and while it was my first challenge in utilizing AI voice, it became an interesting experience in conveying the characters' impressions.

As I proceeded with the production, I noticed one thing.
It was the feeling that by engaging with methods like video and audio, the contours of the story itself began to emerge more clearly.

There were moments when, by turning it into video, the themes and atmosphere of the story were visually 'organized.'
Also, by giving the characters voices, the subtle nuances—such as the warmth of their personalities and the tempo of their speech, which were difficult to grasp through text alone—became more real.

The sensation of parts that could not be fully depicted on paper alone rising up from 'different angles' through video and audio was very fresh and became one of the secret joys of the creative process.

Of course, these attempts are merely 'auxiliary lines' that have no direct connection to the content of the main story.
However, if these auxiliary lines can tickle the reader's curiosity even a little,
and serve as a trigger for them to think, 'Maybe I'll give it a read,' then I believe that alone made it worthwhile.

🧩 The Meaning of the Act of 'Assembling'

The protagonist of 'Code:Mn-137,' Kenji Furusawa, faces the work of a video editor every day.
Selecting necessary cuts from vast amounts of video material, arranging the order, adjusting the rhythm,
and connecting them to create 'a single meaning'—that is his job.

What he handles is "recorded history," but it is not merely a record.
Sometimes it conflicts with the person's own memory, and sometimes it unintentionally obscures the truth.
While facing such discrepancies between memory and record,
the editor is forced to make decisions about "what to keep and what to cut."

While depicting Furusawa's work, I suddenly realized something.
It occurred to me that I, too, might have been performing a similar "editorial act" in the process of creating a story.

Picking up events and emotions from my own memories,
or fragments of thoughts that never found words,
and "reassembling" them little by little.
I felt anew that the very act of writing a story was exactly that kind of work.

Creation is not just about lining up ideas.
It is about quietly digging up feelings held in the past, drawing them close once more,
and carefully giving them shape in my own words—
it is a time that feels somewhat like a dialogue with myself.

As I wrote, I had many moments of realization:
"Perhaps this character's gaze overlaps with my own feelings at the time," or "This episode might be an extension of the confusion and regret I felt back then."
Such insights visited me time and again.

I believe the story "Code:Mn-137" is,
much like how Furusawa searches for "something" within fragments of footage,
a story I spun by gathering the "fragments" scattered within my own memories.

That is why this work has an atmosphere like a quiet editing room,
and I feel that behind the characters' lines, "memories that never became words" that seeped out without me even realizing it,
are gently layered there.

🔗 The "completed version" of this story can be found here

Thank you for reading this far.
The "Code:Mn-137" I have introduced is a story about a man involved in the "work of connecting records"—video editing—who encounters a mysterious piece of footage that could be called a "record of the future," and follows the meaning embedded within it.

Rather than pushing forward elements typical of time travel, such as "predicting the future" or "altering the past," this work quietly depicts how people accept "what comes next" through something more ambiguous and uncertain—the fragments left behind in the medium of "video."

The boundary between reality and fiction.
The discrepancy that arises when memory and record conflict.
And a world where "voices of the past," reconstructed by AI technology, arrive carrying new meaning.

As these elements intertwine in multiple layers,
I hope that through this work, I can gently pose the question: How much of what we "see" and "believe" right now is actually "truth"?

If, through this process, you have become even slightly interested in the story, I would be delighted if you would take a look at the completed main work.

I have posted links to the work below.
I hope you will also make use of the videos and character introductions as an "entry point" to the story.

🟦 "Code:Mn-137" Work Page (Tales)

🧬 Character Relationship Chart & Setting Introduction Page

To help you enjoy the story more smoothly,
I have prepared an introduction page that concisely summarizes the relationships and backgrounds of the characters, complete with diagrams.

As you read through the story, you might encounter moments where you wonder, "What was the relationship between this person and that person again?"
In such times, I hope you use it like a "map" that you can briefly return to for confirmation.

Of course, it is also recommended to take a quick look before you start reading.
If you can get even a slight sense of the story's atmosphere and the positioning of the characters, you might be able to enter the world of the work more smoothly.

🖋 In lieu of an afterword

Before a story takes shape, there are countless processes invisible to the reader.
The time spent developing concepts, the moments of stalling when words won't come, the cycle of writing and deleting.
And sometimes, the small flashes of inspiration that arrive without warning.
A completed novel might be like a single cover page, quietly placed atop all those layers.
I feel that behind it lie thoughts and emotions that couldn't quite fit onto the pages.

In this Note, I have dared to talk a little about those 'invisible parts'—the behind-the-scenes of how a story is born and nurtured.

Why did I decide to write this story?
What kind of characters appear, and what themes form the core?
How did I go about constructing it while engaging with visuals and sound?

If touching upon that background helps create something like a 'map' for when you read the main story, that would be the greatest joy for me as a writer.

I believe that a novel is not just something to be read,
but that how you feel about it changes depending on 'how you encountered it.'

If this article, which is like a small documentary,
has become one gateway to encountering the story of 'Code:Mn-137'—
with that wish in mind, I will gently set down my pen.

🔔Bell