Chipping Away

I'm making very slow progress. So slow that it's practically maddening. A sentence here, maybe an entire paragraph if I'm really lucky. I'm editing, practically every day, as I think of better descriptions, stronger emotions, twists and turns to situations. However, Chapter 6 and Chapters 15-17 (or whatever numbers they end up being) are frustrating me. I can't quite get my head around them. I've got several problems.

1. I have a lot to say and well, the book is already probably too long. I need to get over this problem quickly. I can always cut later. In fact, even as I've been editing I've cut a sentence here, a paragraph there. I know I'll keep doing that as the editing goes on.
2. I'm worried that there's too little of the mystery elements in the middle chapters. Once Chapter 9 happens, there's not much mystery until Chapter 12. I fear that's too long. I have some ideas of how to fix that, but they haven't gelled enough yet. I shouldn't be worried about that while trying to work on Chapter 6, but I admit, it's distracting.
3. I'm just spent. As much as I hate to admit it, I need to take a few days off from writing. Mentally, it's exhausting. Physically, it's anything but. I'm spending too much of my time sitting on my ass on the couch instead of getting other crap done. I need to change that. Maybe if I run a couple miles or scour my kitchen sink, I'll figure out how to get Chapter 6 down on paper.

Today's Superbowl Sunday. I'm not a huge football fan, though I do enjoy the Superbowl. I'll try to take most of the afternoon off from writing, in the hopes that I'll be able to work out Chapter 6 in my head.