Domino is a small, flat, rectangular block used as a gaming object. Also known as bones, men, stones or cards, dominoes have a line in the middle to visually divide them into two squares, each marked with an arrangement of dots called “pips.” The number of pips on each side determines the value of that domino—for example, a double-six will be worth six times more than a single-six. Larger sets increase the maximum number of pips on each end by three, resulting in more unique combinations of ends.
In the early days of Domino’s, Domino’s CEO and founder Tom Monaghan focused on setting up shops in strategic locations that would appeal to his core audience. For example, he prioritized opening up Domino’s pizza restaurants near college campuses so that students could get their hands on the food quickly. This strategy helped to propel the company’s growth and establish its reputation as a fast-food chain that delivered quality pizza in an efficient manner.
As we all know, a domino effect refers to any action that cascades from one thing to the next. Hevesh, the artist who builds mind-blowing domino constructions, says that when she creates an installation, she thinks about what the piece will represent and what message she wants it to convey. Then, she brainstorms images or words that might go with those themes. She then lays out her pieces, creating a layout that will help to guide the way her work will progress.
When Hevesh begins building her masterpiece, she starts with the base of the structure and then adds the rest. She puts each domino down carefully, ensuring that the edges match up with the previous one and that the pieces are positioned in a way that will make them flow together smoothly. Once she’s satisfied with the layout, she begins to put down the aces and queens. Then she begins to push the rest of the pieces, slowly and carefully, until her entire domino chain falls into place.
Just like a domino, when you begin writing your novel, it may feel like everything is in place and ready to fall into place—but that doesn’t mean things will play out exactly the way you planned. To prevent your story from getting stale, you need to be flexible and willing to adapt your ideas when necessary. This is especially important when it comes to writing scenes. When you’re using scene dominoes in your story, each one will be ineffective by itself, but when you connect them to each other they will naturally influence the scenes that come after it. This is how you can ensure your story keeps readers engaged from beginning to end.