Below are copies of my draft article and my final one. The draft didn't have a lot to it and each paragraph seemed to sit well as opening paragraphs. The final obviously has a lot more to it and I tried to incorporate as much information from the draft into the final. 

Draft: 

We all have obsessions. Minor or major, habit or hobby, they exist in every one of us. 

My own obsession is turning off unused lights and appliances… although I would call it a habit rather than an obsession. Ah. So do we all really have obsessions? It is one of those words used quite commonly nowadays to express an admiration or a passion, not necessarily a psychological thing. 

Is what we call an obsession really extreme enough to be so-called? One thing about obsessions is that they tend to come and go although more than often they last a lifetime. Extreme cases like pyromania and monomania could be classed as OCD whereas a light obsession could just be an enthusiasm for a hobby such as painting.   

According to the Oxford dictionary an obsession is “an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person's mind”. So unless it is on your mind most of the time then it is not really an obsession. Other words for obsession could be ‘fascination’, ‘addiction’ and ‘desire’ however ‘obsession’ remains to be ultimate level of those words.

Final:

Is what we call an obsession really extreme enough to warrant this description?

The Oxford dictionary definition of obsession as “an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.” So unless it is on your mind most of the time then it is not really an obsession.

Some obsessions tend to come and go based on trends, although there are manic fans whose obsessions drive them to extremes. In 1996 Ricardo López, who was infatuated by musician Björk, killed himself shortly after he sent a letter bomb to her home expressing a desire to die with her. He filmed the whole process of this including his death. This would be classed as a case of Monomania whereas an ordinary fan may just go as far as attending concert.

Monomania is when a person is fixated with one emotion or idea and was first recognised as a condition in the 1880’s. Researchers have discovered that it has three stages: the tension; the violence and the hearts and flowers stage that is usually temporary. Paranoia is a main aspect of this that can cause a person to believe that others want to ruin their obsession or that they are even in a relationship with a victim.

Ever since its discovery, Monomania has become the topic of books and films such as Misery, Fatal Attraction and a 2009 release named after the very topic of this article. All these films come under the horror genre depicting an extreme form of monomania where the character in pursuit of their obsession – often a person – will stalk and terrorise until they die trying to get what they desire. This is extreme. So what is minor?

Examples of a minor obsession could be a favourite television show or treat. My own obsession is turning off unused lights and appliances. It started about four years ago after watching a documentary on carbon footprints which made me feel the need to be greener and save energy. It’s not taking over my life and sometimes I do leave the odd light on which makes it more of a habit rather then an obsession.

Juxtaposing an avid interest with extreme Monomania creates a misuse of the word obsession. There are many words that hold similar meaning to the word obsession such as fascination, addiction and desire, but obsession has become the word to describe an ultimate fascination. What may appear to be an obsession might simply be a hobby or knowledgeable interest especially compared to the examples above. Unless clinically proven, your obsession may be nothing but a faint interest into everyday routine activity.