Okay, so I’ve been diving into this whole “politely declining the male lead” thing, mostly because I’m a sucker for those romance web novels where the female protagonist is all, “Nah, I’m good.” It’s a fun trope, and I wanted to see if I could pull off something similar in my own little writing experiment.
First, I brainstormed. I needed a scenario. What’s a classic “male lead” situation? A super-rich, handsome CEO who’s used to getting his way? Perfect! So, I sketched out this character, let’s call him… Chad Thundercock (yes, I went there). He’s got the chiseled jaw, the tailored suits, the whole nine yards. He’s basically a walking cliché, which is exactly what I wanted.
Then, I created my female lead. She’s not having any of it. Let’s call her, Anya. She’s, quirky, independent, and definitely not looking for a Prince Charming. I made sure she had her own goals, her own life, separate from this whole Chad situation. It’s important, because I did not want her all character development to be center on Chad.
The key, I realized, was the “politely declining” part. It’s not about being rude or mean; it’s about being firm and clear, but also… nice? I spent a good chunk of time working on Anya’s dialogue. It needed to be believable, and also show her personality.
- I started with some basic “no thank you” lines.
- Then I added layers. Anya explains why she’s not interested, but without being overly harsh.
- I made her responses kind, but definite.
The Practice Part
I set up a scene where Chad, being the confident (arrogant) guy he is, basically assumes Anya will fall at his feet. He offers her some extravagant gift, a fancy dinner, a whatever – the usual rich-guy moves.
Anya’s response? I had her smile, thank him genuinely for the offer, and then… politely decline. She explains that she’s just not interested in that kind of relationship, that she values her independence, and that she’s perfectly happy with her life as it is.
I wrote, and re-wrote, and re-wrote that scene about a dozen times. Getting the tone right was tricky. It’s a balance, making sure she’s not a doormat, but also not a jerk. Each and every time, I will have Anya react to situations differently to spice things up.
The final result? I think I kind of nailed it. It’s a short little scene, but it captures that “I will politely decline the male lead” energy perfectly. At least, I think so! It was a fun exercise, and I’m planning to do more of these, maybe with different scenarios and character types. It’s pretty great practice for writing believable dialogue and strong, independent characters. And that I did, hopefully, more to come, soon!
