Which is the more intriguing premise/conflict?

(Apologies if I've put this in the wrong subforum.)

A little context: I'm trying to formulate an idea for a sequel to an unpublished novel I've written. The original book was a very complicated love story between two men that ended with my MC leaving in the hopes of sparing his lover pain (his lover's ex-wife was threatening to sue for full custody of their daughter after discovering the relationship between the two men). The MC left in the middle of the night and never told his lover why. The relationship between these characters lasted probably around a year. My MC was 18 at the start of the first book. His lover's age was not specified, but he was probably in his early 40s and he took on a very protective/nurturing role to the MC. The characters would be reconnecting after at least a few years apart (not yet sure just how long).

Here are the options I'm trying to decide between:

1) One character (not yet decided which) is in a new relationship and must choose between their current partner and the one they lost/gave up.

2) They must address and attempt to overcome the traumas they've experienced and the ways in which they've changed in the interim.

I realize that ultimately the answer is going to depend on how well I write the story and that it also may well be a hybrid of the two ideas, but I just thought I'd try to get some feedback on these options. I've also not yet decided if the book will end with them finally getting their HEA or if it will end some other way.

Kallithrix said:

Both - I don't think either is particularly strong on it's own, because one is the 'external' conflict (choosing between two lovers) and the other is 'internal' conflict (getting over past traumas / working through issues). I think a novel needs both external and internal conflict to work. All external can make a novel seem too superficial but all internal can make it dull.

So yeah. This is not an either / or option in my eyes.

Click to expand...

I think you're probably right.

This will be my first time writing anything new in over 10 years. I thought it would be easiest to do a sequel since I'd be using already established characters but man - writing is hard! I don't remember it being this hard! Every time I ask myself a question about what it's going to be, the answer just results in a whole bunch of new questions that only I can answer. How many years has it been? Who is my MC now? Who is his lover now? How do they meet again? What feelings about each other are they still struggling with? The first book ended with my MC giving himself to someone else. That other relationship was unhealthy and obviously doomed, but how did it end and how long ago? I'm thinking it's my MC who would be in a new relationship, but with whom? Is this new person male or female? What is this relationship like? Do the MC and his lover finally get their HEA (or at least a HFN)?

Ugh. So many questions and I haven't even written anything yet. I'm thinking I may need to give character interviews a try. Never done that before.