I definitely agree that time and RL are big issues. I know that when I went to Japan, I was so busy experiencing real life that when I did go online, I barely had the time to pursue the things I used to be interested in (online games, forums, fanfic). And since I was no longer surrounding myself with a fanfic community, it wasn't in my thoughts--fanfic was no longer a priority for me.
As for making the leap to original fiction... I'm an avid reader so I do a lot of reading outside of fanfic, but when it comes to my own writing, I have to admit that personally I have little interest in writing original fiction.
I think it's because, as a character, Nick just
does it for me; I don't want to have little fantasies if they don't revolve around him. Haha, reading that over, I think it sounds kind of lame. What I mean to say is that in the absence of a character I adore, I lack the motivation to create, and even after all these years, none of my original characters light my fire quite like Nick does.
What a muse!