I wouldn't mind getting used to writing longer fics. I've always kind of cursed my sparse-ass writing style that contributes toward my fics being so short. (That, and my somewhat deficient plotting skills.)

Which in theory sounds cool, but in practice means I don't have any direction to head into...

I know exactly what you mean! I'm right there with you, too. I have a choice of pairings & genres, but no starting point. And it's difficult to yank an idea out of my queue of stories-I'd-like-to-write because, well, it's for someone else and I want it to be as much just-for-them as possible.