Write a story in which most of the action and meaning lies beneath the surface. This is the most frequently mentioned shape, one that relies on suggestion and implication. The power of the story comes from what is not told, from the submerged mass that gives weight and danger to the visible tip. A reader senses there is more, and that sensing creates engagement and tension.

You can use this shape to generate a story in two ways.

First, you can start with a known situation and then conceal most of it, revealing only telling fragments.

Second, you can write a story that seems straightforward, then ask yourself what larger situation, backstory, or unspoken tension your visible scenes might imply.

The characters know more than they say; the narrator suggests more than she explains. The conflict may be internal and hidden, or a past event may haunt the present action without being named. The art is in selecting the precise, suggestive details that point to the whole.