Shoving Insecurities into the Corner #IWSG

Hi everyone! 
Welcome to Insecure Writer's Support Group. We are a group writers who share our doubts and encouragements. I'd like to thank Alex Cavanaugh and this month's hosts. Learn more about the group here.

I just got back from SCBWI’s Summer Conference in Los Angeles, so I’m energized and excited to get back to my work-in-progress and to apply many of the tips and techniques learned. (I’ll be posting some of the highlights from the conference next week.) My insecurities are just going to have to hide in a corner until the high from the conference subsides, because I’m sure it will.
As some of you may remember, last month I asked for writer-ly questions for a post I was doing for the group blog I’m a part of. Since I could only pick one question for that post, I answered the others on my blog. The last two are below.
  Q:   “When you are writing, do you need complete silence or do you prefer some sort of background noise?” Optimistic
A: I don’t mind background noise. In fact, I often write in the family room when my husband is watching TV. I’m good at blocking it out. I can’t, however, listen to music when I’m writing. I end up singing along with the songs. J
  Q:   “What were the factors that led you to the decision to give so much of your heart and time to writing?” Nikki
A: I find writing relaxing. It’s not a job or a chore, but something I enjoy. Plus, I have so many story ideas floating around in my head. I like taking the characters and snippets of a scene, sitting down with my laptop, and seeing where they take me.

Thanks to everyone who asked a question for the Dear Author Dearest post that I contributed to on Darkly Delicious YA. For those who may have missed the posts, below is a list of the questions. Just click the questions to be redirected to that blog post.
“What'syour take on voice? Some people say it can't be learned. Do you agree?” Lynda
“I'dlike to see how people divvy up their time between writing/blogging/socialmedia. Pie charts please.” Leslie
“How does one find a good editor?” Ken
“How about some guidance of spending money to improve our writing?” Kim

How are you doing this month? Do you need silence to write? How do you decide what to spend money on when it comes to improving your craft? What led you to dedicate so much time to your writing?