Let’s take the example of a fictional novel called “Simi’s
Memory Journal.” Here are some excerpts from “Simi’s memory journal” a diary in
which this character records her memories, feelings, details of everyday experiences,
dreams, fantasies, obsessions, ideas, notes, observations, and just about
everything.
October 17th – A recurring dream
"The old house again. That creaking floorboard in the
attic. Always the same grey light filtering through the dusty window. The hum
of the old radio, even though I know it's been broken for years. The same old
crow and its same old caw-caw."
November 5th – An observation
“A woman in the bus caught my attention today. Her
amethyst-colored scarf reminded me of my mother. For a split second, I almost
reached out to her to ask who gave her this scarf.”
December 12th – A cryptic note about the memory
of a past event
“He said the words, but I heard something else entirely. The
way the fierce winds whipped and the way the rain lashed against the window
that night, mirroring the storm inside."
January 28th – A note about an artistic obsession
“Spent hours on the sketching of the peepal tree. Its roots
seem to hold so much untold history. Like an old woman's hands."
February 1st – A fleeting feeling
"A sudden, overwhelming sense of loss today. For what,
I can't pinpoint. Like a phantom limb."
For the reader, these entries are like the “tip of the
iceberg,” while the bulk of the iceberg has been hidden by the writer. The
writer’s intention is to leave it to the reader to decipher, decode, infer,
interpret, and imagine the details hidden in these excerpts. This, in a
writer’s world, is called as the “Iceberg Principle of Storytelling.”
The Iceberg Principle of Storytelling, also known as the
"theory of omission" or "iceberg theory," was famously
championed by Ernest Hemingway. It suggests that the true meaning of a story
should not be immediately obvious on the surface, but rather implied through
carefully chosen details and what is left “unsaid.” Just like an iceberg, where
only a small portion is visible above water while the major chunk of ice remains
submerged and hidden from the naked eye, the most powerful aspects of a story
are those that the writer allows the reader to infer and absorb on their own.
The principle relies on some fundamental elements such as
“show, don’t tell,” “Hint, subtext & implication,” “focus on the concrete,”
and “trust in reader’s intelligence.”
Show don’t tell
Instead of explicitly stating a character's emotions or the
story's themes, the writer instead uses actions, dialogues, and sensory
descriptions to evoke these emotions and themes indirectly.
Hint, subtext and implication
The real drama often lies in what is hinted at, in the
unspoken tensions, and in the gaps the reader is encouraged to fill.
Focus on the concrete
While applying the iceberg principle, a writer uses
specific, tangible details to suggest deeper meanings, rather than abstract
explanations.
Trust in reader's intelligence
The author doesn't spoon-feed information but trusts the
reader to connect the dots and engage actively with the narrative.
Simi’s entries are just the tip of the iceberg visible to
the reader. It’s upto the reader to interpret them as they like.
For example, the small detail of the “Amethyst Scarf” in the
above excerpts hints at the character’s profound longing for or a unresolved
relationship with her mother. The immediate reaction to reach out to the woman
could be understood as emotions like grief, regret, or a yearning for
connection.
The recurring “Old House Dream” could represent a
deep-seated memory or trauma associated with her past, possibly her childhood
home or a significant event that occurred there. The creaking floorboard, the
grey light, and the broken radio could symbolize decay, unresolved issues, or a
sense of something lost or broken.
The Cryptic Note "He said the words, but I heard
something else entirely" could imply a significant personal conflict, a
misunderstanding, or perhaps a betrayal in a past relationship. The rain
mirroring the "storm inside" underscores the emotional turmoil she
experienced. The reader is left to wonder who "he" is and what
"the words" signify, prompting them to imagine the full context of
that difficult conversation.
The peepel tree obsession and Simi’s intense focus on it
could be interpreted as an affinity for endurance, resilience, and perhaps the
burdens of history or experience. The comparison to "an old woman's
hands" might allude to her own feelings about aging, wisdom, or the weight
of her memories.
The bit about the Phantom Loss could be taken as an
"overwhelming sense of loss" that she can't pinpoint, likened to a
"phantom limb," implying a deep, pervasive grief or unresolved
emotional wound that continues to affect her, even if its origin is buried. It
hints at a past trauma or significant absence that has become part of her
identity.
The Iceberg Principle of Storytelling, therefore,
transformed an ordinary narrative of Simi’s memory journal into a portal that
can potentially take an attentive reader into her vast, complex, hidden inner
world, where they can catch a glimpse of her deepest desires, fear, loves, and
all things she said or didn’t say, her unspoken fantasies. This makes the
simple chronicle of her journal into a compelling narrative and a powerful,
emotional story.
