The Domino Effect in Fiction
Domino is a tile-based game in which players try to form a chain of dominoes by placing one on top of another. Each domino has a pattern of dots, called pips, on its face that determines its identity. Its blank or identically patterned opposite side is separated by a line or ridge from the pips and is usually colored to distinguish it from the other dominoes in a set. The first domino placed on the table starts the chain. The pips on each domino correspond to the numbers of the dice on a standard six-sided die.
Dominoes are traditionally made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting pips. Some sets of dominoes also use metal, ceramic clay, or frosted glass. Each material adds a different aesthetic to the set and may result in a heavier or less durable product.
While the domino principle has many real-world applications, the idiom itself is rooted in the politics of the Cold War. In a 1957 speech, President Eisenhower used the metaphor of a falling domino to explain how Communism could spread throughout the world. Since then, the phrase has been used in everyday life to refer to any situation where one small trigger leads to a series of events.
For example, in a business setting, an employee’s forgetting to wash his hands at work can lead to a series of infections among his patients at the hospital. These infections, called nosocomial infections, can be dangerous for the patient and lead to their early death. Similarly, an investor’s decision to buy shares of a company with high debt can have long-term consequences for the stock price.
As a writer, you can use this concept to plot your novel’s storyline and create tension between characters and readers. A domino effect is the main event that drives the plot, and you can build it using a variety of tools such as setting, character, conflict, and dialogue.
Whether you’re an author who composes your manuscript off the cuff or carefully adheres to an outline, the art of writing fiction comes down to one simple question: what happens next? How can you best build a dramatic story around this question?
While composing your next masterpiece, keep the Domino Effect in mind. This simple concept can help you build an engaging plot that will leave your readers wanting more.
Domino is a tile-based game in which players try to form a chain of dominoes by placing one on top of another. Each domino has a pattern of dots, called pips, on its face that determines its identity. Its blank or identically patterned opposite side is separated by a line or ridge from the pips and is usually colored to distinguish it from the other dominoes in a set. The first domino placed on the table starts the chain. The pips on each domino correspond to the numbers of the dice on a standard six-sided die. Dominoes are traditionally made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting pips. Some sets of dominoes also use metal, ceramic clay, or frosted glass. Each material adds a different aesthetic to the set and may result in a heavier or less durable product. While the domino principle has many real-world applications, the idiom itself is rooted in the politics of the Cold War. In a 1957 speech, President Eisenhower used the metaphor of a falling domino to explain how Communism could spread throughout the world. Since then, the phrase has been used in everyday life to refer to any situation where one small trigger leads to a series of events. For example, in a business setting, an employee’s forgetting to wash his hands at work can lead to a series of infections among his patients at the hospital. These infections, called nosocomial infections, can be dangerous for the patient and lead to their early death. Similarly, an investor’s decision to buy shares of a company with high debt can have long-term consequences for the stock price. As a writer, you can use this concept to plot your novel’s storyline and create tension between characters and readers. A domino effect is the main event that drives the plot, and you can build it using a variety of tools such as setting, character, conflict, and dialogue. Whether you’re an author who composes your manuscript off the cuff or carefully adheres to an outline, the art of writing fiction comes down to one simple question: what happens next? How can you best build a dramatic story around this question? While composing your next masterpiece, keep the Domino Effect in mind. This simple concept can help you build an engaging plot that will leave your readers wanting more.