I think writers are born, not made later. It's some fire in you. In my case, I would write whether I were published or not. I've noticed how well you get into the voices of your characters and that's very difficult. I feel almost as though I become them as I'm writing.
Writing is as much acting as writing.
It feels as though I'm eavesdropping. Because, for example, to take on the voice of a 13 year old is hard. I guess I believe there are many characters inside each person. It's a matter of how open you are to accessing those aspects of your personality. If I write about women's issues, it's because I'm a woman.