Sharpening the Pencil: Essays on Writing, Motivation and Enjoying Your Life is a collection of essays on the subjects of time management, optimism, getting things done, long-term goals, creating your destiny, healthy living, inspiration, personal effectiveness and success in the areas of writing and creativity. The theory of the book in general is that to truly cultivate creativity, imagination and motivation, a writer needs to take control of his or her life. Author Bryan Cohen focuses on many offbeat writing-related subjects such as how to write without being inspired, being optimistic when things suck, defeating writing distractions and excuses, long-term goal setting and how to actually become creative if you're feeling drained. There are 30 essays in total that are bent on helping you to create your writing destiny through an increase in productivity, positive thinking, self-help and stress management. The book includes several writing exercises and an essay on the basics of a sense of humor in writing and life.
Author Bryan Cohen's self-help and personal development writing books have sold over 5,000 copies and his inspirational website has had over 100,000 visitors. Cohen's goal is to inspire you into action with his words so that you can be the writer you have always dreamed of. In addition, he wants you to have a fulfilling and joyful life and he hopes Sharpening the Pencil can be the first step in a lifelong, positive direction.
