NopsychicsEmbellishthe truthmake yourcharacterunsympatheticMakeyour focusBROADDon'thavestory arcAssume yourreaderknows localeNo charactertransformationHave anunwieldlystoryDon'thave anincitingincidentWrite alongtimeframeBlameothersDon't haveacaptivatingplotUse lots ofautobiographicaldataTell,don'tshowHavenothing toteachreaderUsepassivevoiceDon'thave athemeExhibit noself-awarenessNothemeWriteas thevictimDumpback storyin chunksNosense ofplaceUseclichesTry tosound"writerly"NopsychicsEmbellishthe truthmake yourcharacterunsympatheticMakeyour focusBROADDon'thavestory arcAssume yourreaderknows localeNo charactertransformationHave anunwieldlystoryDon'thave anincitingincidentWrite alongtimeframeBlameothersDon't haveacaptivatingplotUse lots ofautobiographicaldataTell,don'tshowHavenothing toteachreaderUsepassivevoiceDon'thave athemeExhibit noself-awarenessNothemeWriteas thevictimDumpback storyin chunksNosense ofplaceUseclichesTry tosound"writerly"

Carol's How to write a bad memoir - Call List

(Print) Use this randomly generated list as your call list when playing the game. There is no need to say the BINGO column name. Place some kind of mark (like an X, a checkmark, a dot, tally mark, etc) on each cell as you announce it, to keep track. You can also cut out each item, place them in a bag and pull words from the bag.


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  1. No psychics
  2. Embellish the truth
  3. make your character unsympathetic
  4. Make your focus BROAD
  5. Don't have story arc
  6. Assume your reader knows locale
  7. No character transformation
  8. Have an unwieldly story
  9. Don't have an inciting incident
  10. Write a long timeframe
  11. Blame others
  12. Don't have a captivating plot
  13. Use lots of autobiographical data
  14. Tell, don't show
  15. Have nothing to teach reader
  16. Use passive voice
  17. Don't have a theme
  18. Exhibit no self-awareness
  19. No theme
  20. Write as the victim
  21. Dump back story in chunks
  22. No sense of place
  23. Use cliches
  24. Try to sound "writerly"