Your growth pattern is fairly normal, I am one of many with the same type of hair, if you go straight down you are sort of going accross the grain as a first pass, scything strokes will work, as will tilting your head to one side and essentially pulling your neck up onto where your cheek should be.
I still don't get perfect shaves in the neck region but they are good enough for me. Stick with it, try different stretches etc and you will get there.