Long ago, story-telling was a vital part of every village's life. But who came up with the original fairy tales, before Grimm and his brother collected them into book form and sold them? Why is Baba Yaga sometimes evil and sometimes the heroine of her folk tales--is it because different storytellers came up with variations on her character? Today, we seem to have handed the story-telling aspect of our social lives over to the professionals. Fan fiction is a way for the audience to take characters that have somehow become a part of the mass culture and put our own mark on them by telling our own stories about them. 

                       --Zine-A, Warrior Publisher

However inexperienced a fanfic author may be, she has one great thing going for her: 

She's writing for her own enjoyment and that of her readers.

Does this seem painfully obvious to you? That's why you're better off than many novice writers--and some experienced ones, too.  There are many reasons people choose to write, and  the desire to tell a good story is only one.  

There are so few extrinsic rewards to writing fanfic that those who do it usually write out of sheer love -- for their favorite "universes," for the thrill of putting words on paper (or on the net), for entertaining a group of friends who share their hobby.  While an author's love in itself will not fix a story's weak points, her enthusiasm will come across to the reader as a liveliness and emotional immediacy that can render even a far-from-perfect story enjoyable.

Having said that, please take all advice in this website with a grain (or several) of salt. The point of fan fiction is to do what you like, what works for you. If it feels right, it probably is.