Ernest Hemingway was a minimalist pioneer with his “iceberg theory, which means leaving most of your meaning beneath the surface. The short, direct sentences can make your writing powerful and easy to read. What’s left unsaid often speaks louder than long, descriptive prose.
However, if not done well, minimizing can make your story seem flat or emotionally cold. It takes practice to know when to give lush descriptions and when to cut to the bone. I’m still working on it. Here are a few clues to sharpen your writing:
1. Strip Down the Prose
- Useshort, declarative sentences using concrete nouns and strong verbs (Example: He bounded through the rye. vs He went running across the field covered in rye.)
- Avoid adjectives and adverbs: “He slammed the door.” vs “He closed the door firmly.”
- Hunt down and strike out overused words. I’m editing a friend’s MS in which she uses “just” 376 times. Also delete: that, very, and some…
JUSTto name a few.
2. Show, Don’t Tell – Let dialogue and action reveal character instead of inner monologues or author commentary. Instead of “She was nervous,” write “She twisted her ring until her finger reddened.” Also, get rid of half your dialogue tags and let the reader know who’s talking by use of an action. Instead of, “What did you buy at the store,” she asked. Write: She dug through the grocery bag. “What did you buy?”
3. Trust the Reader – Provide enough detail to ground the scene, then step back. Leave space for readers to infer emotions, motives, and backstory.
4. Use the Hemingway’s Iceberg Principle – Put only the “tip” on the page; the bulk of meaning lies beneath. Backstory, symbolism, and character psychology should exist but remain unstated. Create a character bio to keep you stay on track and let the character evolve through what she does and says.
5. Tighten Dialogue – Keep it clipped, realistic, and purposeful. People rarely explain themselves in life—let characters leave things unsaid. Skip over hello and good bye and other conversation fillers we use in speech.
6. Cut Ruthlessly – When you finish a 100,000 word draft, go back and cut 10,000 words. Remove the tangents and whatever doesn’t serve tone, character, or theme or move the plot forward. As they say: Kill your darlings…your favorite, most poetic lines may be the ones to delete. To feel better about that, cut and paste those lines into a folder entitled: Great prose to use some day.
7. Focus on Small Moments
- Minimalist writing often thrives in ordinary details—a cup of coffee cooling, a door half open, a silence between two people.
- Big emotions emerge from subtle cues, not speeches or lengthy description of everything in the room.
Love historical fiction? Join my Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1185865059974956
Jeanne Meeks ~ Fiction Author 