NothemeDon't haveacaptivatingplotAssume yourreaderknows localeDon'thavestory arcBlameothersmake yourcharacterunsympatheticNopsychicsExhibit noself-awarenessEmbellishthe truthMakeyour focusBROADDumpback storyin chunksNo charactertransformationHavenothing toteachreaderHave anunwieldlystoryUsepassivevoiceWrite alongtimeframeDon'thave athemeTell,don'tshowNosense ofplaceUseclichesUse lots ofautobiographicaldataWriteas thevictimDon'thave anincitingincidentTry tosound"writerly"NothemeDon't haveacaptivatingplotAssume yourreaderknows localeDon'thavestory arcBlameothersmake yourcharacterunsympatheticNopsychicsExhibit noself-awarenessEmbellishthe truthMakeyour focusBROADDumpback storyin chunksNo charactertransformationHavenothing toteachreaderHave anunwieldlystoryUsepassivevoiceWrite alongtimeframeDon'thave athemeTell,don'tshowNosense ofplaceUseclichesUse lots ofautobiographicaldataWriteas thevictimDon'thave anincitingincidentTry 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 theme
  2. Don't have a captivating plot
  3. Assume your reader knows locale
  4. Don't have story arc
  5. Blame others
  6. make your character unsympathetic
  7. No psychics
  8. Exhibit no self-awareness
  9. Embellish the truth
  10. Make your focus BROAD
  11. Dump back story in chunks
  12. No character transformation
  13. Have nothing to teach reader
  14. Have an unwieldly story
  15. Use passive voice
  16. Write a long timeframe
  17. Don't have a theme
  18. Tell, don't show
  19. No sense of place
  20. Use cliches
  21. Use lots of autobiographical data
  22. Write as the victim
  23. Don't have an inciting incident
  24. Try to sound "writerly"