Do it yourself

Hi, This project is taking longer than expected... but I'm ready to install the GFCI outlet. I know that I need to make sure that the fan is after the load side, because everything before the line side is not protected by it. So, to make sure that I understand this... I have the wire from the fan go to the switch. Another wire comes out from the switch. Black wires in the two screws, white wires togther, both grounds under the same green screws. Then, with the circuit off, I cut into a wire that leads to an outlet, or at least, not a switch to something else. I have two wires coming from my fan switch: one goes to one end of the now-cut wire, the other goes to the other end of the now-cut wire. I also take a third short segment of wire, and wire that from one of the clipped wires to the other. Thus there will be two sets 3 ground wires under one cap each, two sets of three white wires under one cap, and two sets of three black wires under one cap. The fan will then be in parallel wiring, so that the outlet will still work even when the fan is off (I didn't put in that third short wire segment when wiring in the outlet for two shop lights in the attic, and now that is the unfortunate case with my bedroom outlet, the attic lights must be on for it to work :-) ) I understand that there's a simpler way to do this with 4-wire cord, but I already have the 3-wire stuff, and I think I have the concept of this down, so I'll do it this way. I'm sorry if this is somewhat monotonous, to outline step by step basic wiring, but it is helping me to understand what I'm doing, being new to this. Up until this point is where I understand it, I think, unless I've got something wrong, and then please point it out. Just to wire something in. But now I need to slip in the outlet somwhere such that it protects the fan, and there's where I get confused. Normally for an outlet in the middle of a circuit I'd have one wire go to it, one wire come from it, and splice it into the middle of any wire in the attic, again, provided that that wire does not lead to a switch? No third wire necessary, since the outlet is perpetually on, whereas the fan is linked to an on/off switch? So with the GFCI outlet, with it's line and load side, where does it go? I can't just splice it in anywhere, that much I've gathered. I read somewhere that it is actually not in parallel, but in series, that it protects things....? Is this why I'm troubled? But this cannot be right! If I put it in series, the fan must be on for the outlet to work. This actually isn't a problem, since I don't need the outlet except for the fan (and an experience, to learn how to wire GFCI), but I'm concerned that series wiring couldn't be true, because then you couldn't have a light that turns on and off, without turning on and off everything, if everything were in series..... -Bernard