I used to *never* let a living soul read the first draft of a story, especially if it was a WIP. I had to abstain from my writer's group because we were supposed to be sharing bits, and just the thought that I might have to share something with the others prevented me from writing it, or (worse?) made me change what I wrote.

The diff this time is the reader is my GF, and she's not a naturally critical person. She did make one stray comment the other week about what she'd like to see more of in the story, but jeeps, if that's the worst it ever gets, it's like writing to a blank wall in terms of its impact on what I say, and sometimes encourages me to say it a bit more effectively.