Answer to question 1: All desires are equal in pure vibrational terms and in pure vibration you manifest INSTANTANEOUSLY but if your vibration is other than pure (: 100% allowing, non-resistant desire :) then you will experience the vibrational variance as a fluctuation in ease of manifesting.

I also get the feeling that you are equating energy with intensity of emotion i.e. like it's far away or it's big and I must pulllllllll it toward me with intense magnetic desire, and I can understand that you might feel that way due to the illusion of physicality. Actually, the desire is already real and in existence even before you focused on it (: because Ultimate Reality or your Eternal Self is pure consciousness with Infinite Potential containing every conceivable experience save absolute loss of consciousness :) and the only thing delaying the manifestation is the vibrational proximity to it. So what's required for this proximity is a persistent DELICATE AND ALLOWING focus on what is desired whether in terms of the object specifically or anything pleasant in general. The focus required to manifest the car and pencil are the same if your beliefs surrounding the two are the same.

Further, intensity of emotion or desire can be counter productive at times because you might find that your overall alignment is not a match to the intensity, so you might feel uncomfortable and cause delays which can be a nasty loop at times.

Answer to Question 2: Staying focused on feeling good or well-being (: or in the positive zone in general :) is the easiest, most comfortable, effective and efficient path to receiving all our desires. The bottom line actually is the feeling of well-being not the pencil, car, money etc.

You can also add some impetus to your desire by focusing on experiencing your having of the pencil e.g. perhaps imagine writing with the pencil or whatever. Then just go about feeling good as usual. That's about all you can do. Focusing on well-being and feeling good is MANDATORY because when you're in good vibration, your in the zone of all things positive which INCLUDES all of your current desires and also the new ones that pleasantly provocative contrast (: if you're in the bad vibe zone you get negative contrast :) will generate. FEELING GOOD IS ALL IMPORTANT and is the cornerstone of all effectiveness whether for a pencil or a car.

Am I being clear?

This might help: even if we do everything correctly to manifest a desire, we cannot receive our desire as long as we are in desiring mode. You will naturally desire the thing for as long as it takes, and eventually you drop the pressure or "push" of the desire which puts you in receiving mode. Then you are open to receive it. Nothing can come in when we are sending out. Have to drop the "I want this thing" after you've sent out because the continual the desire because the Universe hears that as "I want this thing but I don't have it" and all it can do is follow your instructions. Therefore, it responds with making sure you continue to want it and not have it! It's doesn't hear your thoughts, only how you feel about not having it. Have to send out the desire and either let it go, get into neutral about it.

For instance, if you want to manifest something small like a pencil or movie ticket, you try to feel happy, but the small thing does not manifest, how do you actually go about fixing this?

Your question is difficult to answer because it's based on an assumption that isn't accurate.

Yes, we play the game of thinking there really are "Small Things" and "Big Things" for convenience of terminology (even in the tongue-to-top-of-mouth process you referred to in the comments to your question) but it's only you deciding what is "Big" and what is "Small".

There are things you have lots of resistance about (a Big thing) and things you have little resistance about (a Small thing)...and "Big" and "Small" have nothing to do with size.

To a billionaire, manifesting a new sports car (or even a fleet of them) would feel like a "Small" thing...just order a personal assistant to pop out to a car showroom and bring some cars back. To someone living in poverty, it's probably a "Big" thing...they may have to physically work many years at some job they dislike in order to get the funds.

Things that feel "Small" to you will always manifest quickly because there's little resistance so your question about trying to make it happen becomes a bit irrelevant because if it genuinely feels "Small" to you, it will come easily/effortlessly anyway.

If it doesn't come easily (like manifesting a pencil by just picking it up with your pre-manifested hand), it is - by definition - not a "Small" thing for you.

Look at Abraham's description of how "small" things manifest quickly.