I love to write also, though I do not have much time for it (outside of class) at the moment. I write a great deal of poetry--it's concise, and I have a knack for it. Unfortunately I constantly have ideas for longer things, and no time to write them down. Someday...
Never be sorry for getting carried away in that way.
If you're anything like me, it's incredibly satisfying to write that way, even though it makes one feel a little foolish. But other people actually don't mind. This I am just beginning to learn.
I prefer the NIV or NASB (when necessary to have a more exact translation) because they are less prone to have been pre-digested for you by the translators. That's not a problem unless they get it wrong, of course, but people always get things wrong. Anyway. I also love Le Morte d'Arthur, and though I generally don't care for Shakespeare (he tends to be vulgar), The Taming of the Shrew was one of his that I enjoyed rather more than most, if I remember correctly. I need to read Ivanhoe--I've heard such good things about it.