another one bites the dust!

I've been in several writing groups and they have all fallen apart at some point. Just like my most recent one. They all start out with a burst of enthusiasm, goal setting and camaraderie. Then the critiques get less helpful (or nonexistent) and those fun, lively discussions get rude and nasty. Why? It seems that the participants start to fall into 2 categories. Those that are seriously committed to improving their writing and what solid, honest feedback. And those that are writing for fun and want to hear that their story is "wonderful." There's nothing wrong with writing just for the sheer joy of creating but if you are writing to get published, you need to learn, study and follow some basic rules of fiction writing. Like POV, conflict, voice, playing fair with the reader, etc. It seems that some writers want to focus on STORY -- and that's the writer's group I want/need to be in. When the STORY doesn't matter as much as being "right" or making comments about the other people rather than the manuscript, it's time to leave. So, I left. Will I give up on writer's groups? Have I learned that they aren't really helpful? Will I work on my own now? Have I learned my lesson? Um, I guess not. Because I'm joining a new group that means during the day that will focus on improving our writing and getting published. Am I just an eternal optimist or a glutton for punishment? Only time will tell!