What is Domino?
Domino is a game in which players place domino tiles on the edge of a rectangular base. The tiles have one side with an identity mark and the other is blank or identically patterned. The mark consists of an arrangement of dots, similar to those on a die. A domino set may contain many different marks, and each one has a particular value. The highest value is six pips, followed by four, two, and then none or blank. The tiles are normally twice as long as they are wide, making them easy to re-stack after use.
In the early 18th century, a form of domino appeared in France. The word, along with the tile, was probably inspired by a priest’s cape contrasting with his white surplice. Eventually, the combination of blacks and ivorys became associated with domino as well.
Like playing cards, which are a variation of domino, and dice, dominoes have a broad variety of uses. The most common uses are for gaming and for establishing sequences of numbers or letters. For example, players may compete to create a word or letter chain that spans the entire board. They can also be used to form a map or to construct 3D structures such as towers and pyramids.
The first Domino’s restaurant opened in 1967, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It was a small store, but it soon grew. Monaghan believed in expanding locally, rather than relying on national advertising. He emphasized putting stores near college campuses, which helped the company to quickly grow.
As with a deck of cards, the most interesting aspect of a domino is how its pieces are arranged to form patterns and a sequence of actions. For a domino to work, its ends must match up: a one’s end touching a two’s, and then the other way around. Each end must have a number of dots—called pips—in a specific pattern. The sum of these values determines the overall value of a domino.
Dominos can be used to create simple straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, and stacked walls. You can also create a domino art piece by drawing a design on paper, and then placing the dominoes according to that design. You can make your design as simple or elaborate as you want — the possibilities are endless.
Writing Like a Domino
If you’re a writer who doesn’t outline your plot ahead of time, you can run into problems. For example, you may have a scene in your story that doesn’t fit with the next one because it’s at the wrong angle or doesn’t have enough logical impact on what comes before it. When that happens, you can rearrange the dominoes and find a new path for your story.
It is important to remember that you alone can establish the dominoes on your journey and you have ongoing choices about whether to pursue knocking them over or rearranging them to establish a different journey. You also have choices about whether to follow your destiny or to turn back and take a different path.