Domino is a small, rectangular block of wood or plastic that is used as the base for gaming pieces. Typically, one side of the piece features an arrangement of spots that resemble those on dice. The other side is blank or patterned in a pattern that complements the spot pattern. A domino also has a line or ridge that separates the two sides of the piece and serves as a marker for the beginning of a line of play, which is called a chain.
A large number of games can be played with a set of dominoes, and the rules for each game vary from one to the next. However, most of the most popular games are based on the same principle: that a domino is played so that its number matches the number shown on the end of another domino in the chain. When a match is made, the end of the chain is placed on top of the domino that was played. This causes the entire chain to fall in a controlled fashion.
Lily Hevesh began collecting dominoes when she was 9 years old, and she has never lost her fascination with the little tiles. Now 20, she works as a professional domino artist, creating elaborate sets for movies, TV shows, and events such as the album launch of pop star Katy Perry. Her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, has more than 2 million subscribers.
Dominoes are small enough to fit in a workshop but detailed enough to demand respect for the craftsman. Nick developed a simple method for making his own dominoes using the tools in his grandmother’s garage. A drill press, radial arm saw, scroll saw, belt sander, and welder crowded the small space, but they helped him develop an eye for detail and a love of woodworking.
When you stand a domino upright, it stores potential energy in the form of its position on the table. Once you start the chain reaction by playing a domino, much of this potential energy is converted to kinetic energy as the other pieces fall. The speed at which a domino falls is proportional to the size of the force that initiates the chain reaction and to the total length of the chain, which can be as long as several feet.
When writing, this concept of the domino effect can help you avoid scenes that don’t add to the story or don’t have a clear impact on the scene ahead of them. This is especially helpful if you’re a pantser, or a writer who writes without an outline or Scrivener to help plot out your scenes ahead of time. For example, if you’re writing a mystery and a character does something immoral that doesn’t advance the plot, it may not be logical for readers to keep liking that character. To avoid this, you need to provide logic for your characters to justify their actions. For example, if your character does something illegal or immoral, you need to give the reader the motivation to forgive this deviation from societal norms.
