THR: It turns out fan fiction [James wrote Twilight-based fan fiction before Fifty Shades] is a great training tool for people who want to be a writer -- to write online and get immediate feedback.
James: It's such a fantastic experience. It is that interaction. It's just when you traditionally write something, you have people wait months and months for your next chapter. It's just such an immediate experience with fan fiction. I used to update maybe once, maybe twice a week. So it was great. It was just good fun. It was an extraordinarily good time.
Fascinating interview with EL James.
