{"id":1592,"date":"2026-01-29T13:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T19:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/?p=1592"},"modified":"2026-01-02T00:55:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T06:55:49","slug":"the-world-is-loud-but-my-noticing-is-louder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/2026\/01\/29\/the-world-is-loud-but-my-noticing-is-louder\/","title":{"rendered":"The world is loud, but my noticing is louder"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-time-to-read has-small-font-size\">2\u20133 minutes<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">The world was not built for the sensitive.\u00a0It&#8217;s too loud, too bright, too sharp at the edges. For years, I treated my own sensitivity like a faulty setting \u2014 a glitch in the system I needed to mute, to armor over, to &#8220;toughen up&#8221; against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">I was trying to run a sleek, efficient corporation on a soul that was fundamentally an overgrown and slightly damp garden.\u00a0Prone to unexpected blooms and very sensitive to frost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">Then I realized: my sensitivity wasn&#8217;t a bug. It was the entire operating system. And maybe it&#8217;s my Pisces Moon talkin&#8217;, but I think I cracked the code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">My soft skills are actually my hardest assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">They call it &#8220;soft.&#8221; I call it my\u00a0high-resolution data collection suite.\u00a0While everyone else is browsing the world in standard definition, I\u2019m receiving a 4K feed of\u00a0<em>everything.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">That wince you tried to hide when they said your name?\u00a0The specific way the afternoon light slants through a dusty window and makes you feel both lonely and hopeful?\u00a0The overwhelming, crushing weight of a grocery store on a Saturday? Yeah, I got that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">What the world dismisses as &#8220;overstimulation&#8221; is just my\u00a0raw material.\u00a0It all comes in the glorious, the painful, the sublime, the utterly mundane, and my job is to curate it, refine it, and hand it back to you as a feeling you recognize.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The supply chain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">I don&#8217;t just see a couple arguing over coffee. I see the way her thumb is rubbing the chipped handle of her mug. The three seconds of silence are heavier than the shouting. The tiny, desperate hope in the way he reaches for the sugar at the same time she does. That&#8217;s not eavesdropping. That&#8217;s\u00a0market research for the human heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">To write a believable wound, you have to remember how the air feels on a scraped knee. To describe longing, you have to let it sit in your own chest, unfulfilled. My willingness to feel the &#8220;bad&#8221; feelings deeply is the only guarantee that the &#8220;good&#8221; ones I write will be authentic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">My retreats, my hibernations, my mysterious &#8220;offline&#8221; days that no one really cares about? That&#8217;s not hiding. That&#8217;s\u00a0processing the backlog.\u00a0It&#8217;s in the quiet that feelings get sorted into narrative, and the sensory input becomes prose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bottom line<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">I won&#8217;t be &#8220;building a thicker skin.&#8221; My thin skin is the entire point. It&#8217;s the permeable membrane that lets the world in. This tender, observant, easily-overwhelmed heart isn&#8217;t a liability on my balance sheet.\u00a0It&#8217;s my flagship product, my R&amp;D, and my delivery mechanism all in one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">The world needs its blunt instruments and its armored tanks. But it also needs its\u00a0translators.\u00a0Its interpreters of glances and subtle shifts in the weather. It needs people who can turn a feeling into a phrase that makes someone else say, <em>Yes. That. I thought I was the only one.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:300\">And let me tell you,\u00a0that is a premium service.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014 Montse<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One must embrace sensitivity as an asset, highlighting how emotional awareness enhances creativity, storytelling, and understanding, transforming perceived weaknesses into valuable skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134972872,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[852518,63377],"tags":[7223,7758714,178,1747,8053601,3330,349],"class_list":["post-1592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-balancing-act","category-the-writing-life","tag-author","tag-bookish-thoughts","tag-books","tag-fiction","tag-indie-author","tag-publishing","tag-writing"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfZGWd-pG","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":975,"url":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/2025\/09\/04\/what-i-learned-publishing-my-first-paperback\/","url_meta":{"origin":1592,"position":0},"title":"What I learned publishing my first paperback","author":"Montse \"M.B\" Benavides","date":"September 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In publishing my first paperback, I learned that self-publishing requires creativity, resilience, and confidence. Embrace imperfections, prioritize design, and promote your work to connect with readers.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Drafts&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Drafts","link":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/category\/the-writing-life\/behind-the-drafts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2270,"url":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/2026\/05\/07\/the-city-doesnt-know-its-in-my-book-yet\/","url_meta":{"origin":1592,"position":1},"title":"The city doesn&#8217;t know it&#8217;s in my book yet","author":"Montse \"M.B\" Benavides","date":"May 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Reflections on revisiting familiar places and people, exploring the tension between seeking inspiration and confronting emotional wounds for the sake of writing.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Creative Pulse&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Creative Pulse","link":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/category\/creative-pulse\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":815,"url":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/2025\/08\/10\/i-write-for-people-who-flirt-like-they-have-a-god-complex-and-commitment-issues\/","url_meta":{"origin":1592,"position":2},"title":"I write for people who flirt like they have a god complex and commitment issues","author":"Montse \"M.B\" Benavides","date":"August 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"There is an understanding through writing, reflecting the chaotic yet relatable nature of love and vulnerability.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bold Banter&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bold Banter","link":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/category\/pen-punch\/bold-banter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":217,"url":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/2024\/09\/09\/in-case-you-were-wondering-who-writes-this-stuff\/","url_meta":{"origin":1592,"position":3},"title":"In case you were wondering who writes this stuff","author":"Montse \"M.B\" Benavides","date":"September 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome to my corner of the literary world. I\u2019m Montse, a writer whose journey began in the shadow of childhood dreams and evolved into a full-fledged adventure. Born on June 26, I\u2019ve always been drawn to the enigmatic and the profound. From my early, whimsical attempts like Alien School to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pen &amp; Punch&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pen &amp; Punch","link":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/category\/pen-punch\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mbnovels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/585801fb-176e-4f64-8b9f-8df5d12a59c7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mbnovels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/585801fb-176e-4f64-8b9f-8df5d12a59c7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mbnovels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/585801fb-176e-4f64-8b9f-8df5d12a59c7.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mbnovels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/585801fb-176e-4f64-8b9f-8df5d12a59c7.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mbnovels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/585801fb-176e-4f64-8b9f-8df5d12a59c7.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mbnovels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/585801fb-176e-4f64-8b9f-8df5d12a59c7.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":799,"url":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/2025\/08\/07\/the-male-gaze-could-never-survive-my-pen\/","url_meta":{"origin":1592,"position":4},"title":"The male gaze could never survive my pen","author":"Montse \"M.B\" Benavides","date":"August 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The male gaze never stood a chance. Not in my books. Not in my characters. Not in a single sentence I've written for as long as I've been conscious of my existence. Because I don't write women to be admired. I write them to be understood. To be messy, contradictory,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Heart of the Story&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Heart of the Story","link":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/category\/the-heart-of-the-story\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":292,"url":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/2021\/12\/31\/unusual-eulogies-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":1592,"position":5},"title":"Unusual Eulogies | 2021","author":"Montse \"M.B\" Benavides","date":"December 31, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This year was all about\u00a0stories of rebellion and quiet defiance, but told with a haunting, tension-soaked mood. I craved books where the tension wasn't just in the plot, but in the very air the characters breathed.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Unusual Eulogies&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Unusual Eulogies","link":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/category\/unusual-eulogies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/134972872"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1592"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1600,"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592\/revisions\/1600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbnovels.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}