How can the iceberg effect improve your writing
Ernest Hemingway often said that the deeper meaning of a story must shine subtly on the surface like the tip of an iceberg. Like an iceberg, the surface of the story, what is revealed to the reader, should be barely anything compared to what lies beneath. The more the author knows about the story the richer it gets, and this even if the reader is unaware of the treasures underneath the tip of the iceberg.
Hemingway said that only the tip of the iceberg showed in fiction—your reader will see only what is above the water—but the knowledge that you have about your character that never makes it into the story acts as the bulk of the iceberg. And that is what gives your story weight and gravitas.
— Jenna Blum in The Author at Work, 2013
Why did Hemingway use the iceberg effect in writing?
Hemingway absorbed the practice of shortening his prose as much as possible. Of the concept of omission, Hemingway wrote in “The Art of the Short Story”:
“You could omit anything if you knew that you omitted and the omitted part would strengthen the story and make people feel something more than they understood.”
Writers who utilize Hemingway’s iceberg theory must embrace the idea that they will always know more about the story, the world, and the characters than there will ever be room for on the page. Leaving things off the page can often be more powerful than spelling them out.
Sometimes less is more
Modern audiences don’t want all of the information even though it is oh so tempting to get into detailing. Above the surface is everything the audience sees — narrative, plot, dialogue, and action. But under the water, hidden beneath the surface, is everything else — thoughts, feelings, motives, symbolism, theme, etc. So, let there be subtexts, underlying meanings and purposefully leave out certain details from your story to leave them guessing and discovering new meanings.
As the saying goes, “Less is more”.
If you want to write similar articles and be featured on BeStorified, read the submission guidelines.
