Monday, December 05, 2005

Cabin Romances

The snow this morning made me think of a well-loved romance novel convention - the "cabin" romance. The term refers to stories where the hero and heroine are isolated with each other and far from any civilization.

The place may in fact be a cabin but can include things like a ship or a luxurious tent in the desert (the heroine having been kidnapped by a sheik of course).

I like these stories but they're notoriously difficult to write because the hero and heroine have only each other to play off. However in a well-written book, that becomes a plus, because cutting the characters off from the world creates an intense emotional intimacy, giving them no room to hide.

However that very reason is why some readers don't like cabin romances. To them, the enforced togetherness seems claustrophobic, too much hero-heroine interaction and not enough outside factors. Which side of the fence do you fall on? Any favorite cabin romances?

6 comments :

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Really nice one. I havent seen snow. But I imagine how it is....

keep publishing new things

Anoop George
anoopgeorges@yahoo.com

Nalini Singh said...

Thanks, Anoop. :)

Nalini Singh said...

That's a good point about length, Emma. Might get a bit too much in a long novel.

That actually reminds me of one of my random pieces of knowledge - there's a 'vacation' you can do where you're locked in with your loved one in a small room in some icy place, for a certain period of time (not hours, days). Talk about testing your relationship!

Nalini Singh said...

p.s. Did the snow arrive?

Nalini Singh said...

True, so true. How come those handsome hunks don't appear for us mere mortals?

Anonymous said...

If the cabin romance is well written, I'm all for it!