Domino is a game of strategy and skill. It’s played in many cultures, a symbol of unity across boundaries. Whether in bustling city squares or quiet village homes, the game brings people together.
Dominos have a unique shape that distinguishes them from other types of flat playing pieces such as cards or dice. Each domino has a set of numbered spots on one side and is blank or identically patterned on the other. The numbered spots, or “pips,” help identify each domino from the rest of the tiles in a set. Dominos come in a variety of shapes and sizes, making them ideal for building curved lines, grids that form pictures, stacked walls, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids.
There’s nothing quite like watching a huge line of thousands of dominoes stand straight up and then fall over with the slightest nudge from just one. It’s a spectacle that’s often performed in domino shows, where builders compete to see who can create the most complex and imaginative domino effect or reaction before a live audience of fans.
A domino is also a metaphor for the way that the smallest event can trigger a chain reaction and have a huge impact. This is a concept that novel writers should keep in mind when they plot their work, especially as they write their first drafts. Think of each scene in your story as a domino that’s ineffective on its own, but when paired with other scenes, it can create an amazing effect.
If you’re looking for a fun family activity, try designing your own domino track and then play the game. You can draw the tracks using a ruler and pencil, or you can use an online program to make your design. Then, lay the dominoes on the track in the order that you want them to fall. This is a great way to build your spatial awareness and develop fine motor skills.
Another important lesson that we can learn from Domino’s is the importance of listening to your customers. As we’ve seen with other businesses, when a company doesn’t listen to its consumers, they can quickly find themselves in trouble. Domino’s recognized this early on, and they were willing to change their menu, implement new leadership training programs, and even open restaurants in places that were not traditionally the company’s focus in order to keep up with consumer demand.
So the next time you’re feeling stuck in your writing, don’t be afraid to nudge and move those scene dominoes around a bit. When you put them in the right place, they can turn your manuscript into an exciting chain reaction of plot beats that will keep your readers interested.