If you’re a writer then you oughta know about Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory
Easy Read
No one had complete mastery over a sentence like Ernest Hemingway.
Perhaps no one ever will again.
Because of this he is one of the most ripped off writers on Earth. But to mimic ‘Papa’ Ernie is a loser’s game. It’s like taking one of Mum’s old recipes. No matter what you do, it’ll never be quite the same.
But we can certainly be students of his work. Use it to direct our
own words.
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And our study can begin with a theory he minted in Paris 1923:
The Iceberg Theory
Readers of Hemingway are familiar with his punchy, slight and minimal style. Achieved through his belief in presenting only a fraction of what’s happening to the reader. This empowers and encourages us to lean into our imagination and fill the blanks. To uncover the deeper meaning.
Kinda like an Iceberg whose tip teeters above the waves but whose rhyme and reason towers secretly below the surface.
He taught with conviction that “if you leave out important things or events that you know about, the story is strengthened.”
I can't think of a better example than his six word story:
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn”
I mean … come off it champ!
Are they for sale because the family needs the money? Because the baby has grown up? Did the baby die?
Who the hell knows. But that’s the beauty!
Not one to spoon-feed the reader copious details, Hemingway wrote “If the writer is writing truly enough, [the reader] will have a feeling of those [omitted] things as strongly as though the writer had stated them.”
That's the Iceberg Theory. It respects us enough to make our own assumptions.
This isn't a license to be vague to lazy. If anything it takes more grit and thought to pull off. But when (or if) you do, it’ll make your story one of legend.
Bottom line: that which remains unsaid, adds strength. Like the chunk of berg bobbing below the surface.
