I have been taking some time off from the novel. I hit the midpoint, in which things go seriously south for the heroine, and I took a break because I felt it needed to settle.
That was three weeks ago. For some reason all the characters woke up and said things in my brain this week. The waitress said a snide thing about the gambler. The neighbor made a remark about the radio. The heroine suggested we change the end entirely, which was surprising, but I will humor her.
Three weeks and the break is over, it would seem. At this rate it will be done in 2022.