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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/20379
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Good storylines are about overcoming challenges, not exposition. Amnesia as a plot device tends to be trite and overdone, however, that does not mean it can't be used effectively. The recent US TV show Blind spot uses the idea of a "drug" that washes away all of a person's memories except for flash bits to good effect.

Realistically in a longer story, it is ultra cliche if the person remembers the information "just in time" or "just as clues", triggers the same panic/pain reaction, or that constantly saves the day, provides a new skill, etc. What we're looking for as readers is a variety of timings, reactions, and effects. For example, if sometimes your "amnesiac" remembers things too late and suffers guilt, but other times gets flashes that help, yay! but even then keep the "remembering" exposition to a minimum.

Maybe every time they try to remember some banished item, they get that migraine, or someone else to use the "edges" that almost trigger a headache, etc. fairly early on, we as readers want our protagonist or story to overcome the blockers. But if any obtained information has a predictable result, that's boring.

Original score: 1