Truth or Dare

Truth or Dare

Truth or Dare. Have you ever heard of this game? It's a game my friends and I used to play, back during our college days. It was simple, fun and revealing. Very revealing. Truth or Dare is played by at least two or more people. The more participants, the more fun it is.

Participants sit in a circle, preferably on the floor (with favorite alcoholic beverage in hand. LOL.) and basically go around the circle, starting left, to each person by asking a question, which has to be answered with the absolute truth. Or the player can decide not to answer the question and therefore has to take the dare.

Sounds simple? It could be. . . depending upon how open you were to revealing your truths to sometimes, complete strangers or depending on how daring you were to perform unknown stunts (which were usually embarrassing in some form or fashion).

However, that was the absolute beauty of the game. You never knew what question was going to be asked until it was your turn and if you chose dare rather than answer the question, you had no option but to perform it. At that point, there was no turning back. You chose carefully and cautiously.

Some of the random questions were:

At what age did you lose your virginity?
What's your favorite sexual position?
Who is your least favorite person in this room?
What do you hate about_______? (someone in the room)
Would you participate in a threesome?

Remember we were college students, back in the day, everything was sexual in nature, and these were daring, bold questions to be asked and answered. The dares were usually extreme and never tasteful. Sometimes, one of the participants would take mercy on you and give you an easy question or dare. Sometimes, not most of the time.

Some of the random dares were:

Knock on the dorm room next door and moon the students in there.
Run down the hallway butt naked.
French kiss the person next to you.
Tell your secret crush that you like him or her.
Take two shots of liquor.

It's funny because I recall telling the truth the majority (98%) of the time. I rarely chose the dares. Me, quiet Electa, revealing her truths to a room full of strangers, male and female. Empowering. Friends would bring friends and you'd end up with a room full of people who didn't really know one another. Maybe you nodded or said hello in class or you saw each other at frat parties or from a distance across the yard. Maybe a basketball game. And now, suddenly you know their most intimate thoughts and secrets. It made you see that person in an entirely new light. Eye-opening.

I loved playing Truth or Dare and many late Saturday nights or early Sunday mornings would find me participating. . . and having the time of my life. Those were the days. When I look back on those years, I see myself laughing, unafraid, bold and free. Always laughing. Dancing like no one was watching. I had so many dreams yet to be fulfilled. There was magic in the air. The sky was the limit. To be young, single and the world as your canvas. . .

Most people in my inner circle would most likely describe me as very private. Not simply private, but very private, yet when I blog I reveal a side of myself, my truths, my reality, to the world. As seen through my eyes and my eyes only. I realized by playing Truth or Dare or via blogging, it allows me to place my truths on the table to be dissected, scrutinized, questioned and absorbed. And in the process I am free.

It's not about the reader; it's all about me and allowing my thoughts to be read, that gives them power.

In revealing your truths, you are liberated. You are stripped down to who you are as a person. You are vulnerable. There are so many fakers in this world we live in and most people rarely allow the true, real side of ourselves to be peeled back like an onion, revealing many layers, for all to view. Sometimes the truth is ugly. Sometimes it is painful. Sometimes it holds scars. Deep scars. But. . . on the flip side there is beauty as well. So much beauty. Good or bad, in the end, they are yours alone.

That is what blogging does and that is what Truth or Dare did for me and in the process I see myself for who I really and truly am. I've always said writing is my therapy. And I've always wanted to look in the mirror and know who and what was peering back.

Looking back, I didn't want to participate in outlandish behavior, so I rarely chose Dare. However, I had my moments when I reluctantly did. There were some truths that I wasn't ready to reveal to the world, wasn't ready to share. There were some that I hadn't worked through myself and chose to keep carefully hidden behind closed door until they were ready to be revealed. Just like in blogging, there are some topics I'm not ready or able to explore yet.

When you break it all down, everyone is a product of his or her truths. Our very own personal truths determine who we are as a person. Our truths determine what type of life we lead, how successful we are or not. Our truths are the very fabric or fiber of our being.

We are who we believe we are.

Truths About Being a Published Author

“It has been a pleasure, an honor and a privilege to be a published author; it is one of the true joys and accomplishments of my life. Not everyone has the opportunity to realize a dream and I feel totally blessed to be in that number. During my tenure as a published author, I’ve discovered certain truths.” – Electa Rome Parks


1. You can’t please all of the people all of the time. Everyone is not going to love or even like your novels. And that’s OKAY.

2. Everyone, their mother and cousins will want to point out any editorial errors they may find within the pages of your books. Everyone’s a critic.

3. You don’t necessarily have to go to college to become a successful writer. I believe there are elements of writing that comes naturally, just like breathing.

4. Everyone thinks they can write a book. However, every book in the marketplace isn’t necessarily a good book.

5. Everyone thinks their life story should be a book.

6. Talent will only get you so far. Sometimes it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.

7. The right “handlers”, i.e. agents, editors, pr person, make all the difference in the world.

8. Every fiction novel has some element(s) of truth. Don’t believe the hype.

9. Writing is a business. Sales are the bottom line. No matter how talented you are, if you don’t have the sales, you won’t get the next deal.

10. There is such a syenergy when creative minds come together; it’s magic.

11. There is such a sense of freedom and joy in having the ability, from the very core of your soul to express yourself to the world; it’s almost like giving birth.

12. The new “renaissance” authors are making history and some are creating legacies.

13. Writing is a lonely and hard business to be successful in. Most of us can’t quit our day jobs.

14. Every author should pen at least one book that gives back to the universe in a positive, appealing manner to the masses.

15. You have to have a real love affair with the beauty and power of words in order to stick with it because the industry, like a lover, will take you through ups and down and sometimes screw you over.