I have also edited an anthology, which was giant fun.
My first question to you is, Do you want to be published? If so, there are lots of ways to move forward. One is to attend writers conferences. For several years I attended the Pikes Peak Writers Conference https://pikespeakwritersconference.com/ and liked it a lot. Depending on where you live, there are many others.
Then there are writing workshops. I'm familiar with a number of science fiction ones, but I wouldn't be surprised if there aren't mystery writing workshops. Or even general fiction writing workshops, or a fiction writing class at a local university or community college.
Yesterday I wrote a story for the first time in several years, somewhat to my surprise. The opening line just came to me, and I wrote the first two paragraphs. Then went back to watching something on Netflix. A bit more came to me, so I wrote that. Resumed watching Netflix. Then the rest of it came and I finished the story. It's just 500 words, so essentially flash fiction, quite different from any kind of a novel.
A decade or so ago, attending a science fiction novel writing workshop, I learned to my chagrin that I really, really, cannot write a novel. I'm best at very short stories. So I will stick to them.
And this recent experience with a new story is making me think I need to get back to writing and submitting. Fortunately, as a science fiction writer, there are LOTS of markets for short stories. And I also have no need to earn a living from my writing. Which actually gives me a lot of freedom to write what I want, and that's good.
And as someone who has crocheted, you are absolutely right. Writing is vastly cheaper than knitting. Or even embroidering, which I also do. 
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