What can my character's problem be?

Peer pressure and bullying because of his sexual orientation (he’s gay). You could slant the story so that it becomes clear that he’s been the victim of ignorance, bigotry and hatred without revealing his homosexuality. It’s a topical subject.

Erectile dysfunction

He always thought love would save him from his fate (to kill himself), but after finding the love of his life, but still finding no relief, he goes ahead and does it..?? Any good?

He’s a paedophile? That would make for a difficult read and sometimes they are the best. He’s a paedophile that knows how wrong it is and he despises himself for it, he’s only ever acted on his impulses a couple of times and he just can’t live with himself for what he has done. It would be even more powerful if you could write it in a way the the reader comes to like the character then boom, this big thing that makes the reader question themselves and how could they have liked this person, but then he did kill himself so he knew it was wrong and then maybe the reader struggles with both revulsion and pity.

@RareDenver I like it! Big twist in the story:) Although I’d probably have to leave it out of my English essay, wouldn’t want to creep my teacher out, haha. XD But thanks:)

@lookingglassx3 creeping teachers out is awesome

@RareDenver / @lookingglassx3, be careful… the plot description RareDenver gave is a bit close to the play/movie The Woodsman.

Also, a man with secrets/regrets committing suicide at a cliff has been done already.

Since it is a creative writing course.. try being more creative. Suicide is a common (bordering on trite) 3rd act ending. Would it be too late for a re-write? I know it sounds silly, but sometimes the reminder is needed.. it is your story… anything is possible. Try to step out of conventional plots & think of something completely original. As long as you write it with your heart & conviction, any idea can be made great. Best of luck to you.

@rpm_pseud0name I forgot about The Woodsman, it’s on my LoveFilm list (netflix to you guys) haven’t seen it yet but am looking forward to it.

Maybe since you don’t know why the character committed suicide, no one else does, either. A huge number of suicide victims never show signs of depression or suicidal behavior. This happened with a friend of mine, too. We realized he was unhappy with some things in his life, was stressed about work, school, etc, but never knew it was bad enough to bring him to suicide.

Sometimes leaving the reader to figure something out themself is better than telling them. If you’ve ever seen Inception, you know how maddening yet intriguing an intentionally ambiguous ending can be. Your teacher may give you brownie points for that. :)

“When I had recovered from intestinal explodeiutus I was in a state to put the pieces together. Edward had just been looking out over the sea, had previously ate the same bad fish and chips down at our favorite place the pier, could not find a bathroom when he needed one, and zoop! a light breeze sent him sailing into the sea – not actually suicide. It never was.

I was left with a new secret and an even more grave set of circumstances. On one hand the insurance company would not honor Edward’s insurance policy which could be the thing that saved the son of Father Ericson because they believed that it was he which was responsible for his own end. On the other hand if I spoke up about my intestinal explodiatus theory it might result in his beloved Godmother, Rosie becoming the guilty party in what was to become his doom and eventual—albeit shamefully partial—redemption in the eyes of the community.

I also knew that her beloved fish and chips stand was the only thing keeping her from a return to the life she led as the leader of the biker gang which had razed the countryside years before and caused a near-collapse in the nation’s insurance industry. Surely, this would also be the final straw in the realization which Father Ericson had never realized – that the orphan left on his front steps so many years before was in fact his own son and that Rosie was the mother and the killer of the former fish and chips purveyor, her mother, just previous to a 9 month spat of amnesia.

Could I reveal that Edward had fallen off of Lover’s Leap as a victim of my not remembering to wash my hands the day previous and/or Rosie’s bad cooking, her involvement in a more stringent analysis of insurance claims and it’s connection to the son of Father Ericson’s son and her son from her previous life as a bad biker mama which she had only led as a way to save the town from corporate interests and a possible Mayan apocalypse?

The fact that The Island was filled with at least 3 seasons worth of unfathomable secrets, mysterious occasions, and striking revelations would have to wait. The army of clones in the basement would have to wait. The secrets which Edward and I had held were ours to keep.

Jk, what is this life-altering secret?

Maybe Edward was coaxed towards the edge by an even bigger secret – something too complex for anyone to understand. Maybe only he knows why. . .

@cloudvertigo That’s the most amazingly convoluted plot one could ever come up with.

Personally, I think that it would be a better idea to leave the reason as to why he would commit suicide ambiguous while leaving small clues that point toward multiple possibilities. That would give it a unique feel and take away some of the cliched-ness.

@rpm_pseud0name I’ve just watched The Woodsman and the plot is not the same at all. In The Woodsman he tells her he molested girls early on in their relationship and she doesn’t get mad, he does. He also doesn’t kill himself but rather he moves in with his girlfriend. The only two things the suggested plot above and The Woodsman have in common are:

1: He is a paedophile
2: He has a girlfriend

and that’s it.

It sounds like a good story.You just need to write according to your primary thoughts.