I'd bet I would have liked MUSHing if I'd discovered it at the right time of my life -- I always enjoyed pencil-and-dice RPGs and the combination of that with writing sounds like such fun. The collaborative piece I wrote was kind of like that, although on a much slower time scale.

I'm sure you're drawing on it already when you write your fan fiction

I'm sure I am, too. There's nothing specific I can point to, but I know that I must be. Probably without even realizing it, in some cases. I remember liking Anne Lamott's Salon.com columns but I haven' read Bird by Bird; I will have to look for it.

Have I told you how much I admire you for starting up your writing again and pursuing it professionally? It's scary enough to put up these little pieces of myself in this forum and in the fanfic archives. It takes a lot of courage to approach publishers in the way that you have; I don't know if I'd have the guts.