The domino effect is the idea that one small event can set off a cascade of events. It’s a concept that many people have heard of but might not understand. It’s a powerful idea that can help you think about how to structure your stories.
The Domino Effect in Plotting Your Novel
In order to tell a compelling story, you need to answer the most basic question: What happens next? Whether you plot your novel off the cuff or spend weeks carefully outlining it, the domino effect can guide you to create a captivating tale.
It’s a simple process that can help you answer the most fundamental questions in your story: What is the main character doing, and what will happen to her? In addition, it can be a useful tool for understanding why certain events are happening.
You might not know this, but the domino effect is actually rooted in science. It was first popularized by physicist Stephen Morris, who used the concept to explain the way in which nuclear bombs could be detonated.
When Morris set up a series of 13 dominoes, each was about 1.5 times as large as the previous one. He found that a single domino could release up to 2 billion pounds of energy! This means that the domino that fell to the ground could potentially destroy the entire city of New York!
The physics of the falling domino has also been used to explain other things, such as the spread of Communism in the Cold War. When Eisenhower was asked about the possibility that the Soviet Union might try to invade Vietnam, he explained it using the domino principle.
Today, it’s still used as a metaphor to describe any situation in which a small trigger may set off a chain reaction. It’s not just a political scenario, but can be applied to any situation that requires you to figure out what will happen next.
A domino is a rectangular tile that has a line down the center and a number on each end. It is usually made from a polymer material, but can also be made from woods, metals, ceramic clay, or frosted glass or crystal.
There are a variety of domino games around the world. The most common in the West are the standard or “block” game and the draw game. The block game uses a standard or double-six domino set and the draw game uses a double-nine or double-twelve domino set.
In a game of the draw type, each player begins by drawing a domino from their hand. Then, the player places that domino on the table. Depending on the rules, the domino might be placed on the edge of the table or on the other side of the table.
You can play dominoes by yourself or with friends and family. There are several types of games that use dominoes, including rummy, bridge, and poker.
Often, the pieces in a domino set are called bones, cards, tiles, stones, spinners, or tickets. They’re sometimes printed in a design that includes numbers and images.