QUOTE(Colonel Mustard @ Apr 15 2013, 06:49 PM)

Maybe? Then again nowadays I get the feeling that I should be channelling my creative energies into stuff that I can actually publish.
Not convinced the two have to be mutually exclusive - with two different outcomes. Writing can be lonely, something which takes you a year to write and edit can make you feel lonelier still, especially with no feedback or encouragement. That's why so many people join writer's groups, so they don't feel like they're doing it on their own.
With fanfic, which by it's nature is episodic, you get a kind of instant gratification. You get the feeling of accomplishment when you post, people read and give feedback almost instantly - it gives you motivation to continue and a warm gooey feeling inside... that you don't get from other writing. It's like joining a writers group you go along to each week, except it's all online - like Critters but much, much friendlier.
So, why not do both? Your original fiction is going to take a long time to write. You want to get published, so you'll spend those months and months writing it. Your fanfic, and this community, is there for you in those moments when you need that encouragement and gratification (
or when you're so fed up with editing your original work for the 12th time you want to scream...)