Sony Vegas now has cheaper versions.
Prices are around $60, $80 and $500 at amazon.com
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/products/vegasfamily.aspI'd go with the mid tier Platinum edition at the very least. Not sure what the difference is between the low-end and mid tier, but the Pro edition just takes restrictions away and allows you to control your workflow and speed up editing on complex and long films.
A book I like to refer to once a month is called "Inspired 3D Short Film Production" by Jeremy Cantor and Pepe Valencia. Half the book doesn't really apply to AH films, but it's the other half that has inspired and helped me along the way. It will provide you with the right questions to ask yourself during your storytelling days. You can probably buy that book on amazon as well.
Good luck FBClaw and have fun in the future.