Dominoes are black and white rectangles that form a tile-like shape. They can be stacked or lined up in long rows to create a structure called a domino track. Some people like to play games with them, while others use them as a way to decorate walls and tables. The word “domino” comes from a Latin phrase meaning “little turban” or perhaps “little cap.” In the early 18th century, it began to be used as the name for the game of the same name. Its popularity spread from England to France and then to Spain and Italy. The game is usually played on a flat surface, such as a table. Each domino has a number showing on one end and is blank or identically patterned on the other. The first player to complete a line of dominoes is the winner.
In addition to being fun for kids, Dominoes can help develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They can also encourage math and social skills, as players must work together to build and maintain a domino chain. Some Dominoes are even designed to promote language development by having children count the dots on the tiles as they are placed.
While some children like to line dominoes up in long rows, other enjoy creating intricate domino art and putting them into motion. Artist Hevesh has a YouTube channel that has over 2 million subscribers, and she has worked on projects involving more than 300,000 dominoes. She has a knack for combining her love of dominoes with her talent for building structures. She’s been featured in numerous magazines and television shows for her work, including an appearance on the cover of Fast Company magazine.
Using the same principle as the Dominoes game, it can be very helpful for writers to think of each scene in their novel as a single domino. The domino image helps to weed out scenes that don’t move the plot forward or add any tension. For example, if the heroine uncovers a clue but then spends an excessive amount of time running around town, it may not contribute to her eventual triumph.
For the most fun and the best chance of success, it’s important to plan out your domino track before you start playing. This is especially true for “pantsers,” or those who write without making outlines or scenes in advance. Without a clear path of what you want your story to become, you might find yourself putting down dominoes that don’t necessarily fit together or increase tension.
When it’s time to start playing, the first player (decided by drawing lots or who holds the heaviest hand) draws a domino from the set and places it on the table. The next player then plays a tile so that it touches one end of the chain and adds to its length. The process continues until the final domino is played, thereby knocking down all of its neighbors and ultimately forming a domino chain that ends in the winning player’s territory.
