Domino is a small, rectangular block with a value engraved on its face used as a gaming object or to play positional games. A domino set is a collection of 28 of these pieces. When playing domino, players lay down a tile edge-to-edge against another to form a line of matching values. The first player to complete their turn by placing a domino that matches the value of the tile on one end of the line already played wins the game.
When a domino falls, it converts its potential energy into kinetic energy—the energy of motion—and some of that energy is transferred to the next domino to push it over as well. The next domino then transfers energy to the one after it, and so on. This is the domino effect, and it’s the reason why you can set up hundreds or thousands of dominoes in careful sequence and knock them over with just a nudge from one.
It’s also why we get so excited when we see a domino show, with builders constructing mind-blowing setups that can span rooms or entire arenas. When you watch a professional domino builder in action, it’s like watching a mini-cathedral come down. It takes years of practice to reach this level, but once you do, you can create structures that rival a skyscraper and amaze the crowd with their scale and complexity.
The word domino is derived from the Latin dominus, meaning “lord.” It was originally used to describe a garment worn with a mask at carnival time or a masquerade. The modern sense of the word emerged in the early 19th century.
In fiction, every scene is a domino that influences what happens next. If you want to write a compelling novel, putting these scenes in the right order can be difficult.
Fortunately, there are some tricks of the trade that can help. For example, if you know that a character will change in some way after a certain event, then it’s important to place this scene before the event that will cause that change. This will create a chain reaction, like the domino effect, that will keep the reader engaged and guessing what’s next.
As a book editor, I try to teach my clients this lesson about story structure. Each plot point is a domino, and the key to a great novel is understanding how to set up these dominoes in the most effective way possible. Whether you’re a fast-paced writer who puts it all down on the page or a meticulous plotter who works from an outline, learning how to use this principle of storytelling will improve your writing.