Thanks for your important question Dave. The Church teaches God is the Divine Author (the creator of the big story of the universe) but that it also teaches that he made his children co-creators with the ability to make their own choices. So think of it this way:

Imagine you write an excellent story/concept (like Gene Rodenberry creating Star Trek) and your characters “take on a life of their own.” How is that possible since these characters were all created by you?

Because, for example, if you write a story that is made into a TV show or film, you will take on co-creators (producers, directors, actors). You would remain the primary author/creator with tremendous influence (always part of the process) but those co-creators (actors, film people) would inevitably have your characters doing different things.

As the author, you’d still have “your will/plan/vision,” of what those characters should do and you can love some of the ideas your co-creators come up with and disapprove of them as well. But when you give someone a co-creator status, they shape the story as well so that’s why the whole story of the Bible involves choices.