Daelon DuLac
How do you backstab a Dragon?
Basically I wander about doing what I run in to.I was having a similar issue. Although my issue is not with race, it is with style of play.
One of our fellow forumers suggested that I randomize my actions and not get in to any quests until I hit level 20 or so. It has worked wonders.
I start a new character and then just head off in any direction and keep going and just take the encounters, dungeons, barrows, caves and NPCs as they come.
It's done wonders for me. Now I'm getting in to RP and it has added a depth that I hadn't anticipated. Sometimes my characters even surprise me.
I try not to overthink anymore and just be reactive to situations for the first 20 levels or so and it helps to establish what the character is really like.
so what did you do until level 20?
On my last character, I actually did the Golden Claw and Bleak Falls Barrow (dragonstone) quests so that I could buy Breezehome and then cleared out all the bandit sites in the neighborhood (Halted Stream, Redoran's Retreat, Fort Greymore(sic), White River Watch, Valtheim towers, etc...) and then just kept wandering about the neighborhood checking out each path.
On another character I headed towards falkreath and hit all the sites around there (Pinewatch, Broken Tusk, there are a few others and some tombs as well).
On yet another I headed west and just did what came up, eventually winding up at Markarth at around level 20. You know, I just did what came up.