Domino, from the Latin domini, means “heavy” or “large.” It is also a type of game, one in which players place small rectangular blocks on a table and then attempt to knock them all down. The blocks have either blank or marked faces and are called tiles, bones, cards, or chips.
A domino set usually contains 28 pieces. Each tile has a number showing on one end and a contrasting color on the other. In some games, a player may only play a domino which has the same number on both ends of the chain. If a player plays a domino and it has a different number on each end of the chain, that player is said to have stitched up the ends.
The word domino is also used to describe a series of events that follow one another in a pattern, like a row of dominoes. It is sometimes also used as a metaphor for something that happens in a large or unexpected way that influences the outcome of other events, such as an accident or political incident.
Domino’s Pizza CEO Don Meij went undercover in a Domino’s restaurant to find out what problems the company faced and how it could fix them. In doing so, he discovered that a number of Domino’s employees were not trained correctly and that the Domino’s delivery service was lacking in customer support. These issues were not dominoes in themselves but they would certainly impact the future of the company.
The Domino Effect is a term often used by managers when describing a system of interconnected actions which can have a significant and far-reaching effect on other parts of the business. The Domino Effect can be both positive and negative, affecting everything from customer satisfaction to employee morale. The Domino Effect is most common in companies that have a clear mission and strategy but are not always transparent with their goals to employees.
In writing, the Domino Effect is a metaphor for a story’s logical progression. When writers create a scene, they establish the pathway that the scene will follow. It is the writer’s responsibility to ensure that each scene has a logical impact on the next. If a scene is not helping the reader to understand the story or moving it forward, it should be removed.
As the first domino falls, it triggers a chain reaction that affects every subsequent piece. Dominoes have inertia, which makes them resist motion when no force is applied to them. However, a tiny nudge can cause the first domino to fall and start the chain. This energy is converted into heat and sound as the dominoes slide against each other. The next domino is then pushed over and, just like the first, the rest fall in an unstoppable cascade. The Domino Effect is a perfect metaphor for a story’s structure. Whether you’re a pantser who doesn’t make outlines or use software like Scrivener, you can still rely on the Domino Effect to help guide your writing.