You served on the Aquila? Man, I remember when that chapter started. I was serving on the Polaris at the time, and I was dating Joy (trekwriter), who became the CO of the Aquila.
Small world ...
As for writing fan fiction, I just say no. Of course, I'm not really saying yes to much other writing these days (new year's resolution: write, dammit), but I think I wrote a total of two fan fics, only one of which I completed. Like you, I'd rather create my own universe and characters. Fan fic is fine as a hobby, but it's never going to do much for developing your writing muscles. Creating a believable universe and believable characters is one of the hardest parts of writing, after all.
no subject
Small world ...
As for writing fan fiction, I just say no. Of course, I'm not really saying yes to much other writing these days (new year's resolution: write, dammit), but I think I wrote a total of two fan fics, only one of which I completed. Like you, I'd rather create my own universe and characters. Fan fic is fine as a hobby, but it's never going to do much for developing your writing muscles. Creating a believable universe and believable characters is one of the hardest parts of writing, after all.