Some time ago, I wrote a new introductory chapter because my previous issue context and literature context chapters were too long. My committee said they aren’t happy with it and it needs changes, but first I should go through and revise my four core chapters.
I have nearly finished that now, with two revised chapters sent and two just needing a couple of passes to be done in the same way.
Now I have been told that the first of those revised chapters needs substantial work, and to be rewritten again into a new structure.
The only way forward is to do what they want, but it’s hard to express how exhausting the process of editing something into a ready to submit state before substantially revising it and then editing again has been.
There’s still a new conclusion to write too, so not one word of the dissertation is now finalized.