This is all so fascinating to read! So much of what you said rings true to me, but so much of what chordatesrock said rings true for me too. My process really has evolved a lot over the 4 years I've been writing fanfiction, and when I took two creative writing classes (each like 5 years apart), and had to write original things, I found everything so much more difficult lol... :P Like I hadn't yet mastered a good process and then the class was over.