I have suspicions my Beta readers are not as objective as they say...

[Mouse]

Ah, I see!

It's nice when people comment on the good stuff too. I tend to get caught up in the story so start commenting on characters... mostly pointing out when they're being bitches.

 

[allmywires]

... mostly pointing out when they're being bitches.

Indeed!

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Ah, I see!

It's nice when people comment on the good stuff too. I tend to get caught up in the story so start commenting on characters... mostly pointing out when they're being bitches.

I can vouch for Mouse's honesty in this matter. My poor female prot has never been the same since...
An entirely negative crit doesn't help, either (which mouse's wasn't btw)

 

[Mouse]

I'm an excellent bitch-spotter. Not that a character being bitchy is always a bad thing.

 

[Danrama]

I agree that the big picture corrections are important. Honestly all these points are important and I think it comes down to what you want from a beta reader. Like critical responses, sometimes its useful and other times detrimental.
I work with my editor and she is most harsh with points relating to clarity. If something does not easily make sense she will protest her confusion.

I started this thread because at that point I actually had a bad experience with one of my beta readers.
He was a friend and a close one at that. When he told me he wanted to beta read my work I wasn't even 20 thousand words into my first rough draft. I should have said no and polished it more first, before handing it over as I did with my later beta readers.
His critical response to my "raw" work was not so much scathing but made me realise you have to work a lot harder on your ms before a beta should even touch it.

I think my point of view on it now is that beta readers should point out anything, so long as I feel like I have polished the work enough to plop before them then fairs fair and I can take it.