The Domino Effect
Domino is a small rectangular wooden or plastic block with a line across the center that separates its ends into squares, each with a number of spots resembling those on dice. The individual dominoes are referred to as tiles, bones, cards, or tickets, and they can be used to play games and create artistic structures. Some people like to stack them on end in long lines and then knock them over. This is a common activity for children and has led to the popular phrase, “domino effect,” which means that one event can trigger a series of similar events with greater–and sometimes catastrophic–consequences.
Dominoes have been around for hundreds of years, and there are many different ways to use them. Some of the most popular are blocking games, where players try to prevent opponents from playing a tile. Others are scoring games, where the player with the most points at the end of a round wins. The most common domino set has 28 pieces, although larger sets exist for more complex games.
Some people use dominoes to make artistic creations, and they are also available in educational kits for teaching math and logic skills. Dominos are also a fun way to pass the time with friends and family. They are often seen at parties, and people of all ages enjoy lining them up in long rows to see how far they can go before they topple over.
One company that takes its dominoes very seriously is Domino’s Pizza. Its CEO, Steve Doyle, has made it one of the company’s core values to listen to employees and act on their feedback. This has resulted in a relaxed dress code and new leadership training programs, among other things. The company’s customers have noticed this line of communication as well. They have reported that it’s much easier to reach a representative on the phone and that the company responds quickly to any complaints.
Hevesh, a domino artist who has worked on team projects that have reached 300,000 dominoes, says there’s one physical phenomenon that makes her work possible: gravity. The force that pulls down a fallen domino can then pull up the next one, setting off a chain reaction that can last for several nail-biting minutes.
For writers, the domino effect is a good metaphor for how one scene can lead to another, and then to even bigger scenes. For example, if a character’s actions in one scene aren’t clear enough to raise the tension in the next, it might be time for a scene revision. Using outlines or tools like Scrivener to plot ahead of time can help writers avoid dominoes that don’t connect with the scene ahead.