False start? Should I start over?

Okay, I know I'm not that far into my novel, but I have a question already:

My outline has two main storylines, one with a college professor and one with a college freshman. I was originally going to focus more on the professor's story, but the student's story keeps tugging at me. I know I'm shying away from the student's story because many of her experiences mirror mine (although she resolves them in a different way) and I'm afraid of seeming too autobiographical. Am I just being chicken by keeping her out of the spotlight because she resembles me?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Edited: Instead of restarting the project, I think I'm just going to keep going, but let the student have her say. If she's like a typical college student, she'll talk my ear off, I'm sure. Eek, this first draft is going to need a LOT of revision. The notes in the margins (move this part here, start the story there, not here, etc.) are already out of control.

Carrie in PA said:

False Start - 5 yard penalty!

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LOL! Just in time for football season.

Thanks for the reminder to keep going, everyone. I'm embarrassed by my need for hand-holding on this project.

Akiahara said:

Everyone needs a little help sometimes, in everything they do.

How far is "not that far", btw?

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I track my word count in my signature. I normally write short stories and food articles, so this is by far the biggest project I've ever worked on (aside from my NaNoWriMo book, which was good practice even though it was terrible). The size of this project just scares me.

One sentence at a time.....

Well, I see this thread has been bumped up, so I guess I'll post a progress report!

I'm still going. The story is still compelling enough for me to write it, and my outline confirms that the story still has "good bones." Much of my griping is just plain ol' fear. I've never tacked a project this large before. Focusing on each chapter as if it were a short story helps a lot. Patting myself on the back for any forward progress, no matter how small, helps too. I may not be cranking out thousands of words a day, but I'm not using my day job as an excuse for not writing either. I now write daily, something that I didn't do before.

I've also decided to continue writing short pieces rather than putting them all on hold as I draft the novel. I still need that feeling of instant gratification (and it gives me stuff to submit along the way!).

Thanks to everyone for your advice and encouragement!