So I finally found a critical reading group.

[Savannahmann]

2. Right now my neighbor is tearing my baby apart

I spent three years coming up with the scenario, the characters, the story, and the technology for my story. 80,000 + words and he's tearing into it like a Thanksgiving Turkey.

But, I value his opinion, and respect it to the extreme. He is educated, wise, and intelligent. He is in short, an excellent beta reader/editor. It is painful to see what he's done, but at the same time I know this will result in a better book. The writer has the most difficult job, they have to tell the story, the editor has an equally difficult job. They have to take a good story, and make it great. This is why the best editors make a good living at it, because their skills are invaluable to the author.

It's a difficult process, and remember, the criticism you receive may not be fair, nor accurate. Listen to it all, and consider it all, and take that which you feel is the best.