The Final Push

For the month of November, one of my Discord writing groups, the Writing Cartel, has been participating in what we’ve called TrackNov. It is our version of the former Nanowrimo event, using Trackbear to see our goals. For prior peptalks this month, please see those by Izzy King (Can't Edit a Blank Page & The Importance of Rest) and Rochelle Myles (Anything Worth Doing).

Welcome to another peptalk for our TrackNov event (and my return to remembering to use this website)! It’s time for the final week of November, and that means it’s time to look at (dramatic drum roll)... The Final Push!

The Wall Is Real

Every challenge has a point where the excitement fades and the grind takes over. For writers, that moment often arrives right about now—the final week. The story that once felt effortless starts to resist you. The ideas that once spilled onto the page now demand coaxing. You’re tired, and the finish line still feels far away.

But that’s exactly what makes this stretch so important. This is where your perseverance becomes part of the story you’re telling. It’s not easy to keep going when the words resist you, but difficulty doesn’t mean failure. It means you’ve made it far enough to feel the weight of what you’re carrying. Like a long hike, the climb seems steepest near the summit—but that’s where the view is earned.

Hold your ground. You’ve come too far to stop here.

Redefine What “Winning” Looks Like

Winning doesn’t always mean finishing a manuscript or hitting a word count. For some, it means rediscovering the joy of writing after a long silence. For others, it’s developing a rhythm, finding community, or simply proving that creativity still has a place in their life.

Whatever shape your win takes, own it. You’ve spent nearly a month building something—discipline, courage, a relationship with your words—and those things don’t vanish when the calendar flips. This week isn’t about comparing progress; it’s about recognizing what progress is. You’ve created words that were not there before. That’s a victory in itself.

The Power of the Push

For a writer, momentum doesn’t rely on speed. It’s about showing up, consistently, even when the energy isn’t there. The “push” doesn’t have to be dramatic—it can be quiet persistence. It can look like fifteen stolen minutes before bed or one more scene written when you wanted to quit.

This is where habit hardens into resolve. Each time you return to the page, you remind yourself that your voice matters, that your story matters. You’re not just finishing a project—you’re building trust with yourself. You’re proving that, even when things get difficult, you’re willing to see it through. That’s the kind of dedication that sustains a writer long after the month ends.

What Comes After

When November closes, the challenge may end, but your story doesn’t. What you’ve built here—momentum, confidence, creative spark—can carry forward into everything you write next. Maybe your story isn’t finished yet. That’s fine. Maybe it needs to rest before you revise, or maybe you’ll dive right back in. Either way, you’ve laid a foundation. You’ve strengthened the muscle that makes stories possible.

Celebrate what you’ve accomplished. Rest when you need to. But don’t see this as a conclusion—it’s a threshold. The end of this event isn’t a period, it’s a comma. You’ve proven that you can create under pressure. Imagine what you’ll do with time, patience, and resolve.

The Final Push

So as we enter this last week, take a deep breath and look at what you’ve built. Whether you’re sprinting to the finish line or walking toward it at your own pace, you’re still moving forward, and that’s what counts.

The wall is real, but so is your strength. You’ve pushed through doubt, fatigue, and distraction to get here. Keep going. Finish your way. The climb is almost over, and the view ahead is worth every step.