What is Domino?
Domino is a word used to describe a domino effect—anything that happens in such a way that it makes other things happen. This can be something as small as a single piece of Domino’s pizza falling over and starting a chain reaction that leads to more pizza sales or, in the more serious context, a terrorist attack that triggers other attacks and so on. It can also refer to a person’s personal or professional life, where one setback can cause other things to fall over in an unpredictable way.
The most common use of the word domino in English is to refer to a type of game, called dominoes, which is played with flat thumbsized blocks that have the identity-bearing face divided into two parts, bearing from one to six pips or dots: 28 such pieces make up a complete set of dominoes. There are many games that can be played with these blocks, and players can arrange them in lines or angular patterns to create pictures, walls, or 3-D structures like towers and pyramids.
In the game of domino, each player takes turns placing a domino (or dominoes) on the table so that its matching ends touch. Once a tile is placed, all other tiles must be positioned adjacent to it so that their total value forms a specified number, such as five to an ace or six to a king. The remaining tiles are called sleeping tiles and cannot be played against until a player has laid all of the ones that can be. The first player to place all of his or her tiles wins.
Dominoes are used in several games, but they are best known as the building material for spectacular Domino Effects or Reactions, where huge chains of dominoes are carefully arranged to be toppled at a moment’s notice by a single nudge. Some of these shows are so elaborate and imaginative that they become shows in their own right, with viewers drawn in by the spectacle of thousands of dominoes arranged to erupt with a dazzling cascade of rhythmic motion.
There are countless other examples of the domino effect, both positive and negative. For example, the popularity of Domino’s Pizza in the 1960s was due to a strategic decision by founder Tom Monaghan to put pizzerias near college campuses where students could be served quickly and efficiently. This strategy helped fuel the company’s growth and success, leading to over 200 locations by 1978.
In the realm of writing, I frequently encourage my clients to think of each scene in their novel as a single domino. Rather than trying to plan out every plot beat in advance, I encourage them to consider how the events in each scene might be arranged so that they will ultimately lead up to a dramatic climax. Seeing each scene in this way helps writers to realize the power of simplicity, and of letting scenes play out according to their natural rhythms.