Domino has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. The word comes from the Latin domini, meaning “heavy,” and it’s been used for centuries to describe a large or heavy object. Today, the word also means a small rectangular wooden or plastic block, the face of which is blank or marked by dots resembling those on dice. A domino is used to play a variety of games, either alone or with partners. Each game has a different set of rules, but there are some basic instructions that can be applied to most games.
For instance, players must draw the number of tiles allowed according to the rules of the game they are playing. They then place the tiles in front of them, positioning one so that it touches a single end of a chain or line of play. Then the player places the tile on the table and adds it to the line of play, usually by matching the pips on the open end with those of another domino in the line of play. Normally the first player to place a tile has the highest double, but there are some games that allow the heaviest single or other special dominos to make the first play.
As each new domino is played, the lines of the chain or line of play grow longer and longer. Once the first domino is toppled, it triggers a series of reactions that spread across the table in an all-or-nothing pulse, just like a nerve impulse travelling down a neuron.
There are many different types of domino games, and some of them are very complicated. They can be played with as few as 28 pieces, or as many as 190. Most popular are the “double six” sets of dominoes, but there are other kinds with more or less numbers of spots on the tiles.
Dominoes can be arranged in curved or straight lines, or in 3-D structures such as towers or arches. There are also many kinds of domino shows in which builders build impressively complex and imaginative domino effects and reactions, often before a live audience of fans.
Lily Hevesh has been fascinated by dominoes since she was 9 years old, when her grandparents gave her their classic 28-piece set. She started posting videos of her own domino creations online, and now she has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers. She also makes spectacular domino setups for movies, TV shows and events, including an album launch for pop star Katy Perry.
Dominoes can help improve the clarity and coherence of a story by making sure scenes occur at the right moment, and that they connect to those that precede or follow them. This is especially important for writers who do not use outlines or Scrivener to help them plan their stories out ahead of time, but who prefer to let the story take them where it will. If you are a pantster, or if you write by the seat of your pants, then you probably need to rely more on scene cards to help you stay on track.