I'm the same really. I'm scared of sci-fi books, really scared of them, because they always depict a horrible dark future which isn't the kind of future I want. But that's not the point of the question.

Question 1

Should I quit trying or try hard no matter what?

You mustn't give up. I'm only a few years older than you, but I've written every day for at least three or four years. It's so important to get the practice and know what you're doing. By trying hard and practicing in that way you will eventually get better and have good work. You must not quit because eventually you will create good work. If I were you, I would join a site like Critique Circle, where you can get some really nasty and good feedback. That was a site which really helped me improve my writing and learn where I was going wrong.

I was going wrong in the following areas:

I did shopping list descriptions. Loads of them.
Sometimes I was too exaggerated.
Sometimes it didn't make sense.

Because the critics there were able to point them out, I was able to home in on them and improve.

Question 2

Is it even worth trying?

Yes. It is worth trying because you can get amaranthine enjoyment out of writing. It will never be something effortless but because of that you can derive so much satisfaction when you finish some industry-standard work on a short story or something.

What you should really do

So this is what I think you really should be doing. Firstly, you need to practice the areas you're weak at. Find those out from Critique Circle. However, I should point out that to be able to make the most of the feedback on there, you need to realise that you're writing isn't actually very good. To the critics on there writing is never 'good' because there's so many improvements. Then, after going there you need to do what is called editing. This answers all of your doubts and erases all of your worries. It is a dream.

You don't think your writing is good because it is unedited. With proper time and care, it will turn from being something very bad into something magnificent.

I don't think you need any fancy writing programs or tutorials to be a good writer. You just need patience, time and dedication. After all, a blacksmith doesn't forge the shape of a sword and then give it to a warrior, he sharpens the edges and carves it into shape. The original piece of writing you do - known as the first draft - is forging the shape of the blade. The refining, sharpening, shaping, is the editing, where the blade goes from a bulky blunt object to a razor sharp stunner.

Good luck!!!!

Conclusion:

Use Critique Circle to pinpoint the areas you're weak at. Really hammer down on those areas and get them good.
Don't stop writing. Know that in the end, with proper time, editing and dedication, you will have an amazing finished product.
Practice by writing more short stories.
Try putting constraints on your writing/poetry (doing things like lipograms can help your active vocabulary).

It's hard to explain. I was the same, really. I never thought anything I did was good before I discovered the holy grail of editing. It actually is the holy grail. You really just have to know that in the end, your finished product is going to be great. You musn't stop at the beginning. Seriously, the phase where you actually write the book is the very beginning.

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