Writing Like Dominoes

domino

A domino is a generic gaming device used for a wide variety of games. They are similar to playing cards or dice in that they are a means of determining a winner through a system of rules and strategies that involve moving one tile over another. A player draws a certain number of tiles from the stock and then places them edge to edge across his playing surface in order to form lines of play. Once the lines of play are set, a player may then begin his turn by “setting” or “downing” a domino in the desired position. Once the setter or downer has positioned his domino, he may then draw a new hand according to the rules of the particular game being played.

Domino’s is the world’s largest pizza delivery company and is renowned for its innovative approaches to food delivery, such as drones and ordering via text messages and Amazon Echo devices. These technological advancements are a key component of Domino’s strategy to compete with the increasing competition from other pizza chains, as well as to meet consumers’ changing expectations regarding delivery options.

When a domino is tipped just slightly, it begins to push on the next one over, creating a cascade of movement that’s beautiful to watch. The same principle applies in writing: When a scene domino is written correctly, it will naturally impact the scene that comes after it.

Whether you compose your novel off the cuff or take a methodical approach to plotting, each scene in your book should build on the one that came before it. The goal is to create a story that’s logical and consistent. To achieve that, it’s important to consider what will happen if each domino isn’t tipped just right.

In a game of domino, each tile has a specific value that’s determined by the pattern of pips on its surface. The pips are usually in the shape of a circle, square or triangle. Some sets have a single type of pips, while others have several different types of pips arranged in various patterns.

Before a game of domino is played, players should shuffle the tiles face down on the playing surface and thoroughly mix them by moving their hands over the top of the pieces. The shuffling may be done by each player in turn before he plays a game, or the same player may shuffle for each game.

A game of domino is won by a player who has the most dominoes in his hand when the last domino is played. Depending on the rules of the particular game, the first player may be called the “setter,” “downer” or “leader.”

Originally, dominoes were made from wood (usually hickory, mahogany, maple or oak), bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl) and ivory, with a black or white pips inlaid or painted on each piece. More recently, dominoes have been made from a variety of materials, including stone (usually marble or granite), metals and ceramic clay.