Go you--that is awesome, to be discovering new things and having fun! My experience has been in the other direction, too, coming to original writing through fanfic, so it's fascinating to hear how things can be the other way around.

Do you see differences between writing original stories and writing fanfic? Do you find fanfic easier or harder? I love the sense of community in fandom, and it doesn't hurt that there's a built-in audience for the stories I write in a fandom. I also like that even short stories are effectively "extended" through the existing canon, making writing and setup generally easier. When I started feeling constrained by the canon, though, I knew it was time to start working on original fiction. I still hope to go back to my fanfic projects once I have a little more time!