A domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block, either blank or marked with dots resembling those on dice. It is used for playing a game with other dominoes, in which players place dominoes edge to edge against one another in such a way that their open ends form a matching number. A tile is called a “double” if it has two matching ends; a single is called a “no-double.” The words set, down, and lead are all nouns referring to the act of making the first play in a domino game.
A game of domino may be played on a flat surface such as a table or a floor, with one player taking turns placing tiles in the line of play. Each domino is marked with a number of dots (called pips) on both sides. The values of the pips range from six to none or blank. A domino is distinguished by the fact that it is twice as long as it is wide, allowing for easy re-stacking after each use.
Some domino sets are made from natural materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with a contrasting black or white inlaid or painted pips. Such sets have a more refined appearance and feel heavier in the hand. They are typically more expensive than polymer sets.
Many domino games have rules governing the order in which the tiles are drawn and placed into one’s hand. A player draws only the number of tiles for his or her hand that are permitted under the game’s rules. If a player draws more than the amount for his or her hand, these extra tiles are known as overdraws. The overdrawn tiles are not played and must be returned to the stock before another player takes them.
The power of the domino effect is that a tiny push can start a chain reaction that causes thousands of dominoes to fall. This is the same force that makes a domino tip over when it’s balanced on its point.
As a writing technique, the domino effect helps writers create logical sequences of scenes that build on one another to drive the story forward. When a scene doesn’t logically connect to the one before it or have enough impact on the one that follows, the scene isn’t doing its job. To make sure all the dominoes are in place, a writer should run through his or her scene list and check each one to make sure it has a good reason for being there. This can help the writer weed out unnecessary scenes and rework the ones that need to be altered or moved to a different part of the story. This process is especially important for writers who use the pantsing method of plotting, that is, they don’t write out a detailed outline before they begin. Without an outline, it’s easy to end up with scenes that are at the wrong angle or don’t have enough logical impact on those that come before them.