When it comes to building a story, whether in fiction or nonfiction, the domino effect can be a powerful tool. By analyzing how the domino effect works, you can make sure your scenes logically connect and that your characters’ emotional beats shift as they should. Using scene dominoes to guide your plotting process can help you create a story that will have a lasting impact on readers.
Dominoes are rectangular blocks, sometimes square or oval, with identifying marks on one side and a blank or identically patterned opposite. They are often made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, ebony, or other natural materials and are inlaid or painted with contrasting black or white dots or pips. Unlike playing cards, whose pips indicate suits, the pips on dominoes are not arranged in a circle but rather on a line or ridge.
A game of domino is played between two or more players. The rules for different games may vary slightly, but the general principle is that a player begins by drawing a number of tiles for his hand according to the rules of the game. He then tries to match these tiles with others in his hand, or in the line of play, to form a chain of dominoes that will ultimately fall over.
The words “the set,” “the down,” and “the lead” are used to refer to the act of making the first domino play in a game. Depending on the exact rules of the game, it may be possible for a player to continue adding dominoes to his double until the line of play is completed or blocked.
As a rule, dominoes are joined together in a line of play by matching the pips on the open ends of the tiles. This arrangement is sometimes called a layout or string, and there are basic instructions for this type of game included on this website under Line of Play. In some games, it is also possible for a player to bye tiles from the stock. This means that he draws more than the number of tiles he is allowed to take, and he adds these to his hand without looking at them. When the player is finished, he places the extra tiles back into the stock and reshuffles the deck.
Dominoes can be played either lengthwise or crosswise, with doubles being played across the line of play and singles being played lengthwise. In most games, a double must be followed by another double or a single, and the next tile must be placed on an end that is not already filled in.
Most domino sets consist of a standard set of twenty-eight tiles with matching pips on all four ends, but larger sets can be obtained by introducing new ends. In particular, a five-spot on the fifth end and an eight-spot on the seventh are common, but there are also extended sets with additional pips on other ends.