Even the most obtuse and unjust criticism can be inadvertently illuminating and helpful, if it shows how our writing is open to being misread. The hardest task of writing is to look for grains of truth in criticism that seems stupid and unfair. Listen to feedback carefully: pick out the grains of truth, correct the distortions, and ignore the blind spots.
That is perhaps the most graceful and useful advice I’ve ever read on how to handle criticism of a work in progress.
