Iceberg Theory
Ernest Hemingway is not one of my favorite writers, but his famous short story, “Hills Like White Elephants,” is justifiably cited as one of the best short stories in American literature. The implied references to abortion make it somewhat controversial, but as a writer, the story is most interesting for the way it unfolds almost entirely through dialogue, and for how it illustrates Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory:
If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A good writer does not need to reveal every detail of a character or action.
I think the Iceberg Theory is certainly an interesting exercise, and a useful test, to think about when writing short fiction, which must be so carefully focused by its nature. I have a few short stories lying around that could definitely benefit, especially since one of my challenges has been to walk that delicate line between showing and telling, between being evocative and merely being sparse.
The first time I heard about this (in college) it’s like the world blew up into technicolor lights. It still feels exciting to me every time I think about it.
I didn’t hear it till very recently, and it is kind of mind-blowing. I think it could apply to any kind of prose, you know? Definitely something to remember.
And thanks for being my first commenter over here!