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Hi! I read Twosoe and I like the premise. May I share my thoughts?

You don’t want to revisit the past, so why not experiment with the characters? Mark isn’t successful in his life, and sees his inability to survive as another failure. That’s part of his attitude problem. Jim is weary of being the sidekick, and wants to be the one with the know how. That’s why he invites Mark.
Write anything. It doesn’t have to be good or even possible, but play with your characters. They have no way off the island until the little green men show up in their saucer, or a mermaid arrives, and they fight over her. What if Jim has an attitude problem, too? Mark might be SCUBA diving for a personal reason, such as overcoming one of his fears.

Resist thinking of this in terms of you and your former friend. Ask yourself who Jim and Mark are. Make a list of what you wouldn’t do, and see if anything jumps out at you. Think up ten things about your characters that won’t make it in to the story, and see if that helps.

Good luck! Whiskers