Writing Examples

Hey writers,

Welcome back to Writing Examples. Last week, you had a taste of Steinbeck’s apple pie. This week, learn to write stories with hidden meanings.

But first, an announcement:

Considering the Write of Passage Bootcamp?

Cohort 13 is right around the corner and this year, we're offering free discovery calls with Harrison, a former Write of Passage student, and writing mentor. These are no-obligation calls to get your questions answered and see if this program is a good fit for you.

Enrollment for Write of Passage Cohort 13 goes live on July 22 (save the date).

Trust Your Reader’s Imagination 

Take a look at this cryptic conversation:

"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig," the man said. "It's not really an operation at all."

The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on. 
"I know you wouldn't mind it, Jig. It's really not anything. It's just to let the air in."
The girl did not say anything. 
"I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural."
"Then what will we do afterward?"
"We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were before."
"What makes you think so?"
"That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy."

– Ernest Hemingway, "Hills Like White Elephants"

While this conversation reads plainly on the surface, there’s so much being communicated through subtext. The beauty of Hemingway’s writing is that the deeper meaning is subtly implied instead of boldly described, different than how Steinbeck writes about an apple pie or the way Poe depicts madness.

This is Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory: like an iceberg, the meaning of your writing can be hidden beneath the surface and understood in the reader’s imagination. Your writing can have this impact if you focus on dialogue or images and resist the urge to over-explain.

“Hills Like White Elephants” is about a young couple having a difficult conversation about an unwanted pregnancy. Yet, Hemingway never uses the word “abortion” or describes how uncomfortable the characters feel — these are the parts of the iceberg hidden underwater.

Instead, here is all the information we get — the tip of the iceberg, so to speak:

• The word “operation”.
• The evasive hesitancy of the girl: “The girl looked at the ground.… The girl did not say anything.”
• The pushiness and assurance of the man: “‘It's not really an operation at all.… I'll go with you and I'll stay with you all the time.… We'll be fine afterward. Just like we were before.’”

The title suggests the story is like an iceberg, with much left to interpret. The phrase “white elephants” is used literally to describe the hills the couple sees in the distance. But outside the story, it’s an idiom meaning "a gift that becomes burdensome and expensive — not worth keeping." The title hints at the story’s true meaning, which Hemingway keeps hidden beneath the surface. As Hemingway says, “the dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water.”

Don’t spoon-feed your reader. Instead, trust their imagination, use dialogue, action, imagery, and metaphor to imply the deeper meanings behind your words.

How I Write Podcast

How to Write Fearlessly | Scott Galloway

Scott is a cocktail of crass humor, brutal honesty, and millionaire advice. He spent ten years wanting to write a book, and when he finally did, everything he learned could be summed up into two words: be fearless. 

So buckle up — because today, you’re going to learn how to write fearlessly. 

Listen Now: YouTube | Spotify | Apple

Thank you for reading Writing Examples. This week, see how you can write in between the lines so that the meaning of your words comes alive in your reader's imagination.

Happy writing,

The Write of Passage Team