The Domino Effect in Writing
Dominoes are small rectangular blocks that bear an identifying pattern of dots on one face and are blank or identically patterned on the other. They can be arranged in many different ways to form a variety of games and structures, and are also used as a tabletop decoration or in crafts.
The name domino is derived from the Latin dominus, meaning “lord.” Throughout history, the word has been associated with cause and effect, and a domino is a master who understands the gravity of each move.
During a game of domino, players place dominoes end to end so that the exposed ends match—one’s touch one’s, two’s touch two’s, etc. Each domino scores points according to the total number of matching exposed ends. The first player to score a certain number of points wins the game.
When a person commits to an identity-based habit—such as making their bed every day or eating only vegetables—they are creating a tiny domino that falls in the shape of a chain reaction. Over time, as these tiny dominoes fall one after the other, they build on each other to create a larger and more significant change in behavior. This is why it’s so important to make a commitment to an identity-based habit.
The same principle is at play when a writer uses the “domino effect” to describe any action that cascades into an ever-growing, complex plot. In other words, if you start your novel by writing a simple scene, and then just keep adding more scenes that aren’t related to the original scene in any way, your novel will quickly become unwieldy and difficult to read.
For this reason, it’s best to outline or plan your scenes ahead of time and then write them in order. This will help you keep track of the logical impact each scene will have on the ones before and after it, and ensure that your story is building towards a satisfying conclusion.
Domino’s was a company that had been operating for decades and had an established brand, but it had also developed a reputation for poor customer service. The founders of the company decided to take a risk and make drastic changes to their business model. The result was that Domino’s saw a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction and a steady decline in employee turnover.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘domino.’ For more information about the terms used in this context, see the dictionary definition.
Whenever we set up a large series of dominoes and tip the first one over, it seems like magic. However, the phenomenon is much more scientific than we realize. In fact, a 1983 study conducted by University of British Columbia physicist Lorne Whitehead showed that a domino can actually knock over objects about one-and-a-half times its own size.
When Hevesh sets up her mind-blowing domino installations, she follows a version of the engineering-design process. She tests each section of her setup before putting it together to make sure the pieces work individually. This allows her to make precise adjustments as she goes along.