Earnest Hemingway was a renowned novelist, journalist, short-story creator, and master writer.
You’ve probably read one of his works in high school or college, and I’m sure you’ve heard about his drinking problem.
But have you heard about his Iceberg Theory?
The Iceberg Theory
Also known as the theory of omission, it originates from this passage in his non-fiction book Death in the Afternoon:
“If a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them.”
Essentially, it implies that there’s more to the story than what’s on the page.
Think of an iceberg- we only see about 20% of it, while the other 80% is underwater. However, that 80% helps the iceberg float along, so it stands to reason that the unseen elements are crucial to the flow of the story.
Why do we need it?
Do you really want to spell out every thought, emotion, or flashback that affects your story?
No. No, you don’t.
Not only do you want to save yourself a few keystrokes, but I guarantee your audience doesn’t want everything spelled out for them.
They want to think. To figure out the mystery, the motivation. To be involved in the story.
And you can give them that experience by omitting specific details.
How do we use it?
When writing a story, you have the surface-level elements, such as character, action, setting, and dialogue, that make up the story.
However, the omitted parts drive those elements and make your story pop from the page.
You can omit things like motivation, character history, thoughts, subtext, emotions, and symbolism from the story, but – if done right- their influence is still visible to those who look for it.
Unfortunately, you (the author) need to know which omitted details drive which parts of the story. Otherwise, you may be as lost as your readers- and that’s never a good idea.
In his book, The Art of the Short Story, Hemingway explains that:
“If you leave out important things or events that you know about, the story is strengthened. If you leave or skip something because you do not know it, the story will be worthless.”
So yes, you (at least) need to be aware of the omitted bits.
Conclusion
Hemingway was many things, but the man knew his craft. The Iceberg Theory is one of the best writing “rules” for others who wish to write engaging stories.
However, omitting details isn’t a shortcut. It takes time and practice to figure out which parts of the story need to be above water and which go below to help it float.
If you don’t know, then you risk leaving a hole that can topple the whole thing over. And icebergs only work if they’re right-side up.
Do you use the Iceberg Theory in your writing? Let us know about it!
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