The Domino Effect in Writing
Domino’s pizza is popular worldwide and the company continues to expand its footprint with new locations. This expansion also includes experimenting with pizza-delivery vehicles. While these initiatives are aimed at increasing profits, they also help modernize the company’s image and create an edge over competitors.
When you watch a domino show, you see an amazing lineup of hundreds or thousands of dominoes that are carefully set up in a precise sequence. When one of them is tipped ever-so-slightly, the entire cascade of dominoes tumble in a beautiful rhythm. These displays aren’t just awe-inspiring to behold, they’re also an example of the power of chain reactions.
Every domino has its own unique identity and a pattern of dots or pips on its face. The first domino, for instance, is in the suit of threes. Other sets have different suits—as long as there are matching pips on the ends of the pieces. The most common domino sets are double six and double nine. Larger sets exist, but are rarely used in play.
In the simplest version of a domino game, players draw tiles from the boneyard (or stock) and place them on-edge in front of them. Then they use matching pips on the ends of their tiles to form rows or angular patterns that will cause the dominoes to fall in a particular order when tipped. There are two basic types of games played with dominoes: blocking and scoring games.
Whether you’re a pantser or a plotter, there is an important lesson to be learned from the domino effect: if one scene doesn’t impact the scenes before and after it, something is wrong. This is especially true if you write mystery stories or any genre where suspense and tension are key elements.
Like dominoes, every scene in your story needs to be able to stand on its own as well as connect logically with the scenes before and after it. Otherwise, your readers might tune out or lose interest.
If you’re a pantser, this is easy enough to do by using Scrivener or another tool that helps you make detailed outlines of your story. But if you’re a plotter, it may be more challenging to ensure that your scenes are working together as they should. Consider your last few scenes. Do they all logically impact the next scene, or do they fall short of their mark? The answer to this question is critical for the success of your novel. It might require some deep cleaning to get everything in line. But once you do, the rewards are worth it.
Domino’s pizza is popular worldwide and the company continues to expand its footprint with new locations. This expansion also includes experimenting with pizza-delivery vehicles. While these initiatives are aimed at increasing profits, they also help modernize the company’s image and create an edge over competitors. When you watch a domino show, you see an amazing lineup of hundreds or thousands of dominoes that are carefully set up in a precise sequence. When one of them is tipped ever-so-slightly, the entire cascade of dominoes tumble in a beautiful rhythm. These displays aren’t just awe-inspiring to behold, they’re also an example of the power of chain reactions. Every domino has its own unique identity and a pattern of dots or pips on its face. The first domino, for instance, is in the suit of threes. Other sets have different suits—as long as there are matching pips on the ends of the pieces. The most common domino sets are double six and double nine. Larger sets exist, but are rarely used in play. In the simplest version of a domino game, players draw tiles from the boneyard (or stock) and place them on-edge in front of them. Then they use matching pips on the ends of their tiles to form rows or angular patterns that will cause the dominoes to fall in a particular order when tipped. There are two basic types of games played with dominoes: blocking and scoring games. Whether you’re a pantser or a plotter, there is an important lesson to be learned from the domino effect: if one scene doesn’t impact the scenes before and after it, something is wrong. This is especially true if you write mystery stories or any genre where suspense and tension are key elements. Like dominoes, every scene in your story needs to be able to stand on its own as well as connect logically with the scenes before and after it. Otherwise, your readers might tune out or lose interest. If you’re a pantser, this is easy enough to do by using Scrivener or another tool that helps you make detailed outlines of your story. But if you’re a plotter, it may be more challenging to ensure that your scenes are working together as they should. Consider your last few scenes. Do they all logically impact the next scene, or do they fall short of their mark? The answer to this question is critical for the success of your novel. It might require some deep cleaning to get everything in line. But once you do, the rewards are worth it.