Here’s the plan:
Before December 1st
You should browse the Siboot design diaries. There’s an enormous amount of material here, much of it of little value, but it might give you an idea of what’s going on here. You do not need to familiarize yourself with the SWAT development environment, as you will not be using it.
December 1st
I shall provide a package of written materials meant to familiarize you with the Siboot universe on December 1st. This package will consist of the current unfinished draft of the manuscript; a bunch of stories from the manuscript that I have since deleted but might be of some use to you in understanding the Siboot universe; and a description of the four species. I shall probably augment these materials with additional chapters for the novel as I write them.
January 1st
I will provide you with a definition of the markup language, similar to the one provided here. I will also provide several sample interstitial stories written in this markup language; a standard template you can use for writing your own interstitial stories; and an essay describing the purpose of interstitial stories.
February 1st
You should provide a sample interstitial story for me to review for correctness and utility. I’ll review and respond to it as promptly as possible.