Working on this novel, I was reminded of something that a teacher said to me many years ago - he was talking about improvisational theatre. I paraphrase a little but not much:
"To collaborate is necessarily to compromise but not in the acceptance of what can be done at best but in pursuit of what is best to do"
He also left me with another piece of advice, important for any collaborative effort including that most important one: a relationship with another person:
"your argument would be more convincing, if you entertained the possibility that you could be wrong"

Andy (Julia)