I attended a fantastic workshop over the weekend presented by author
Cinda Williams Chima, on creating
compelling characters. Something Ms. Chima mentioned that's helped her
develop the intriguing characters of her YA fantasy novels is
Ernest Hemingway's Iceberg Theory
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| A Young Ernest Hemingway |
If you're like me, and not familiar with that theory, here's what it is,
courtesy of
Wikipedia:
In 1923 Hemingway conceived of the idea of a new theory of writing after
finishing his short story "Out of Season". In A Moveable Feast,
his posthumously published memoirs about his years as a young writer in Paris,
he explains: "I omitted the real end [of "Out of Season"] which
was that the old man hanged himself. This was omitted on my new theory that you
could omit anything ... and the omitted part would strengthen the
story." In the opening chapter of Death in the Afternoon he
compares his theory about writing to an iceberg.
Hemingway biographer Carlos Baker believed that as a writer of short
stories Hemingway learned "how to get the most from the least, how to
prune language and avoid waste motion, how to multiply intensities, and how to
tell nothing but the truth in a way that allowed for telling more than the
truth." Furthermore, Baker explains that in the writing style of the
iceberg theory the hard facts float above water, while the supporting
structure, complete with symbolism, operates out-of-sight.
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| The Tip of the Iceberg |
So what the audience reads is only the tip if the iceberg! Just think of all
the back story and info dumps you’ve cut from your finished novels and short
stories. You know a lot more about your narrative than your reader ever will—and
that makes for a much richer story. In
addition, all that hidden information can go into creating a sequel!
Had you ever heard of Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory? If not, have you been
using it without knowing there was a term for it? Thanks for visiting!
9 comments:
I wish I could say I've been using it but alas I probably tell everything because that's my style. My not so icy idea is to give small snippets of things in each chapter to create the entire glacier which hopefully will be put together in the reader's head. That's my plan anyway. I think I heard of Hemingway's Iceberg Theory and I agree that readers want to figure out what happens.
Can't recall having had heard of it ourselves... but it's a good notion.
@Eve: That sounds like a good way to do it--little snippets at a time. I was a big victim of info dumps, but finally got that under control;)!
@Scarlett and James: I'm glad I'm not the only person out there in wrting world not familiar with it!
I hadn't heard it before the workshop on Saturday, but it totally made sense! Of course, my earlier efforts were guilty of all the infodump, backstory goodness typical of beginners. If I'd left that stuff in Time's Enemy, it would have been 250,000 words! As it was, I still had to cut a TON to get it down to its eventual 120,000. Now I do my best to leave it out in the first place!
I've also learned to leave out a lot! I used to tell way too much:).
I've never heard of it, but it sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing!
www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
You're wlcome, Gina, and thanks for visiting:)!
I hadn't heard of it, Maria. Fascinating though!
I agree;)!
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