Domino, the popular magazine, has expanded beyond food. It now has Travel, Wellness, and Wedding issues. There is even a Domino Book Club with authors like Bobby Berk, Ayesha Curry, and Justina Blakeney. The brand has also gone digital with an online version of the magazine, as well as a podcast called Domino Design Time featuring conversations with interior designers.
A domino is a small, thumbsized rectangular block with one side blank or identically patterned to the other and marked with an arrangement of dots similar to those on a die. A domino set usually contains 28 pieces. The name derives from the fact that when a single domino is tipped over, it causes the rest of the set to fall in a neat cascade of sequence.
The word “domino” is also used to describe a system of interacting events that can have dramatic or even catastrophic consequences. This concept is illustrated most impressively in domino shows where builders build incredibly complex structures that end with the dominoes toppling in a carefully controlled sequence.
We can see the domino effect in our daily lives, too. For example, if a friend tells us she’s leaving for vacation, it is likely that our own plans will change as a result. This is the domino effect in action.
When we write, we can use this concept to help us plot our novels. As we create scenes in our story, each scene should lead to the next in a natural way. Each scene domino should contribute to the plot in some way, whether it’s by providing additional information about our character or by showing how a situation affects her.
This “domino effect” of scenes in our novel is important because it allows readers to understand the logic of what’s happening. If a scene is illogical, it will break the reader’s connection with the story and make it difficult to continue reading.
While a good writer will carefully plan the scenes in her novel, there will always be unexpected elements that come up as she writes. These unexpected elements can be like dominoes that aren’t lined up correctly, leading to a mess when they fall over. It’s important to have a good understanding of the domino effect when planning out your novel, so that you can address any problems that may arise.