Domino is a game in which the players move their dominoes across the table. The goal is to build a long chain of dominoes, with each player trying to play the same number onto each end. The first player to do so wins the game.
The origins of domino are unknown, but it was probably a fad in Italy and France around the mid-18th century. It has been suggested that it may have derived from the word domino – a hooded cape wore by a priest at masquerades in the same time period.
A domino (also known as a tile, bone or card) is a rectangular block divided by a line in the middle. The ends of the domino are either blank or have a certain number of spots, called pips, that are arranged on each end. The number of pips on each side of the domino determines the value of the tile. A typical domino set has one unique piece for each combination of two ends with zero to six pips.
In most Western games, the heaviest domino has the highest total number of pips. However, in some variants of the game, doubles can count as one or two and double-blank can either be 0 or 14.
Traditionally, dominoes were made from wood, but many are now made from plastic and even metal. The pips are usually red, white or black and can be printed with designs. Some modern domino sets are designed to be used with electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
Dominoes are also a common sight at large concerts and music festivals. Some artists use them to create intricate patterns, similar to the way a person would stack up dominoes to form a ring or a star.
These patterns can look very impressive when they are stacked up, but if not spaced correctly, the dominoes will topple over. It’s this occurrence that led to the phrase “domino effect,” which is used to describe any situation in which one action or decision inevitably leads to another.
For example, if you try to make your bed for four days in a row, it’s likely that you will eventually get up and go do something else. When that happens, you may find yourself picking up a sock or folding a few clothes that are lying around.
It’s this kind of reaction that characterizes a well-crafted narrative. Whether you write off the cuff or carefully outline your plot, you are writing about the same basic question over and over again: What will happen next?
The key to a good novel is to answer that question in a compelling manner. This is especially true if the plot involves conflict, like in a historical novel or a science fiction story.
One way to do this is to look for a natural recurring theme. For instance, if you’re writing a political thriller, you might want to think about the role of power in Indochina and how the U.S. government was responding to the communist threat there.