Tell,don'tshowBlameothersDon'thavestory arcmake yourcharacterunsympatheticHavenothing toteachreaderNopsychicsHave anunwieldlystoryUse lots ofautobiographicaldataWriteas thevictimEmbellishthe truthAssume yourreaderknows localeMakeyour focusBROADNo charactertransformationUseclichesExhibit noself-awarenessTry tosound"writerly"Don'thave anincitingincidentNosense ofplaceNothemeDon'thave athemeDumpback storyin chunksDon't haveacaptivatingplotUsepassivevoiceWrite alongtimeframeTell,don'tshowBlameothersDon'thavestory arcmake yourcharacterunsympatheticHavenothing toteachreaderNopsychicsHave anunwieldlystoryUse lots ofautobiographicaldataWriteas thevictimEmbellishthe truthAssume yourreaderknows localeMakeyour focusBROADNo charactertransformationUseclichesExhibit noself-awarenessTry tosound"writerly"Don'thave anincitingincidentNosense ofplaceNothemeDon'thave athemeDumpback storyin chunksDon't haveacaptivatingplotUsepassivevoiceWrite alongtimeframe

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