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Rules

🌻 We accept all kinds of genres and books, including poetry. However, all stories must adhere to Wattpad's content guidelines. As such, members are required to read their partner's books regardless of preference. We try to pair around preferences, but cannot guarantee this.

🌻Only books written in English will be accepted.

🌻 Please follow the admins. They work hard to run this project!

🌻 We do not tolerate bullying of any kind. Comments are to be helpful and respectful.

🌻 Similarly, if you are responding to comments and critique left on your story, you must be respectful. Remember that the person commenting worked hard and spent their free time giving you critique.

🌻 If you need an extension on your assignment or a break (hiatus) from the Book Club, please PM this account to let us know. This must be done BEFORE the assignment is due. More info on extensions and hiatuses will be in the next chapter.

🌻 When you are paired with someone, that pairing can only be changed 24 hours after the bloom is posted, so if you have any issues, let us know early.

🌻 You must have at minimum 4 chapters of content in your book (this does not include an intro, aesthetics, etc). 

🌻 You must be okay with LGBTQ+ content. We are fully inclusive of everyone here, so we will not take your LGBTQ+ preferences into account whatsoever.

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Process

- After applying, all new applicants are labeled 'Seedlings' and must complete their first trial before graduating to full-fledged 'Standard Sunflower' members or 'Advanced Sunflower' members. If you go well beyond the feedback requirements, you can be asked to become an Advanced Sunflower, and if not, you will become a Standard Sunflower. They have different feedback expectations, as detailed below.

- Each week, members are swapped around into pairs, these assignments are called 'Blooms'.

- Each member must read two chapters of their partner's book and leave the required amount and quality of comments specified in the "Comment Requirements" section below.

- Once Sunflowers have completed their assignments, they must comment as an in-line comment beside their name in the most recent bloom to inform us that they have completed it.

EX: "Done. Chapters 1 & 2 of Partner's Book Title"

- Seedlings must tag FOOD_GODDESS_QUEEN in their inline comment when they are finished.

EX: "Done. @FOOD_GODDESS_QUEEN"

- New blooms are posted every Sunday ET and are due every Saturday at 3 pm ET.

- At the beginning of each month, one member is selected by the overall admin to be the BotM (Book of the Month) winner. This person has given the best reviews over the last month; it isn't just handed out to anyone.

- All other members have an entire month to read the BoTM before the specified deadline, which is usually the last day of the month. The requirements are the same as the bloom requirements for Standard Sunflowers, a little different for Advanced Sunflowers, and members must also complete their other assignments as well as the BotM.

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Standard and Advanced Sunflowers

- We have combined Sunflower Writing Circle with Sunflower Book Club to form the new Sunflower Book Club with two types of members: Standard Sunflowers and Advanced Sunflowers.

- Standard Sunflowers are the majority of our members. Their comment requirements are less overall (more info below). You will only be paired with other Standard Sunflowers.

- Advanced Sunflowers are more of the minority in our book club, with higher feedback requirements (more info below). However, in giving more detailed feedback every week, they also receive more detailed feedback every week. So you get what you give. You will only be paired with Advanced Sunflowers.

- If you are in one set of Sunflowers but want to be in the other, PM us! Advanced Sunflowers can move down to Standard Sunflowers at any time. If you want to move up to Advanced Sunflowers from Standard Sunflowers, we will need to see 3+ blooms (assignments) of detailed feedback.

- We may ask you to move up to Advanced Sunflowers if we've noticed enough weeks (3+) of giving detailed feedback, but we will never move you without your permission. It's always your choice. The password is your favorite flower.

- When we want to refer to both Standard and Advanced Sunflowers, we will just call you 'Sunflowers'.

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Comment Requirements

- THESE ARE ONLY FOR REGULAR BLOOMS, NOT THE BOTM! BOTM COMMENT REQUIREMENTS ARE UNDER THE "BOTM" SECTION IN THIS CHAPTER!

Standard Sunflowers

- Leave at least seven in-line comments & a final comment (1-2 sentences long) for each chapter

OR

- Leave one 5+ line final comment for each chapter

- For whichever option you choose, the final comment is mandatory.

- For chapters less than 1,000 words, these requirements can change as long as adequate feedback is provided.

- Please use #SFBC when doing your final comment.

- Comments must be constructive and give adequate feedback to help the author improve. If your comments do not give any feedback they do not count towards your assignment.

Advanced Sunflowers

- Leave detailed comments (we recommend inline and final comments both be used, but inlines are not required as long as the final comment is large). Generally we expect one 7+ line final comment and multiple inlines. Fewer inlines, the more detailed your final comment should be. But there is no set amount, so long as your feedback is very detailed.

- For chapters less than 1,000 words, these requirements can change as long as adequate feedback is provided.

- Please use #SFBC on all comments.

- Comments must be constructive and give adequate feedback to help the author improve. This includes reader engagement if it's helpful information. If your comments do not give any feedback they do not count towards your assignment.

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BotM

- The 'BotM', or Book of the Month, is the person who gave the best feedback overall in the previous month. Everyone in the book club must read two chapters of the BotM by the end of the month.

- ALL Sunflowers, both Standard and Advanced, are required to leave a 5 lined final comment (outline) OR seven inlines with a 1-2 final comment (outline) in each chapter. These are the same requirements as regular blooms for Standard Sunflowers but less for Advanced Sunflowers. However, THESE RULES APPLY TO BOTH! Advanced Sunflowers do not have to do their normal amount for the BotM.

- That being said, our consideration for the BotM is based mostly on the previous BotM, so if you want to have a chance of becoming the BotM, you must go well above and beyond. Roughly 75% of our consideration is based on the previous BotM, while the other 25% is based on the last 3-4 blooms. We understand Advanced Sunflowers naturally have a higher comment requirement, so they will probably comment more each bloom, which is why the remaining 25% will be based on how above and beyond you went. We will compare your detail/helpfulness in your feedback to what we think of as the average for your group, rather than just number of comments.

- You are allowed a 2-day extension if you need more time, but no more than that. So we recommend getting it over with as soon as possible to avoid any conflicts you might have when it's due.

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Extensions & Hiatus

- If you need a break for a bit, please message the Sunflower Community account and ask for a hiatus. In hiatus, you will not be paired into new assignments. Hiatus lasts up to 4 weeks before you are asked to leave.

**Note: only messages sent to the community PM will be accepted

- If you do not need a full 4-week hiatus, then message the account whenever you are ready to return.

- Hiatus is for those who have already completed their previous assignments, otherwise, you may ask for an extension.

- Extensions are for those who need a bit more time on their assignments. Extensions can be granted for up to 2 weeks before you are penalized.

**Note: only messages sent to the community PM will be accepted

- You must request an extension each week it is needed before the current bloom ends on Saturday at 3 pm EST.

- Failure to ask for an extension or hiatus will result in a strike.

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Strikes

-Nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news, but it is necessary to keep everyone accountable and as such, the Sunflower Book Club operates on a three-strike system.

- All members have three strikes before they are removed from the club.

- There are several ways that members might gain a strike: Not commenting "done" on assignments, Not doing assignments, Not asking for extensions or hiatus, and not completing the BotM.

- Strikes can be given for other reasons, but this is at the discretion of the admins.

- If you follow the rules, you should be fine.

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Permanent Pairings

- Sometimes members will read their partner's book and fall in love with the story or their partner's feedback. In this case, both partners can talk about a permanent pairing. If both parties agree to a permanent pairing, one can message the Sunflower account and request to be permanent pairs. This means that both members will be paired until one of them runs out of chapters for the other to read.

- You can end a permanent pairing before you run out of chapters if you'd like, though that goes against the point of permanent pairs.

- Permanent pairs who are Advanced Sunflowers will still have to adhere to Advanced Sunflower comment guidelines, while permanent pairs who are Standard Sunflowers will still have to adhere to Standard Sunflower guidelines.

- We will not allow you to move between the Advanced and Standard Sunflower groups while in a permanent pairing because your partner probably won't be moving at the same time, and having two different comment requirements for the two of you would not be fair to either of you or to us, as it'd be hard for us to keep track. So if you want to move from one group to another, you must end your permanent pairing first.