Wasn’t really an option back in the day. It is now, thankfully. And ugh. Sorry to hear it. And yeah. VPNs are generally a good idea. If you can’t afford it or it’s not practical, grab a browser with Tor capability, like Brave. It’s not all precipice and disaster, promise. But if you’re at the start of all this? Opsec now means options later.
Oh, and actual writing advice? The folks above hit all the things I would. I guess I’d reinforce - write the story you want to write, and don’t set too high expectations - for yourself or your audience. Explore. Have fun. This is a nice place with nice people.
