The Domino Effect in WritingThe Domino Effect in Writing
Domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block, each side of which has either a blank face or a numbering system of dots resembling those on dice. A domino set usually consists of 28 tiles, although some sets include more or less. Dominoes are used to play a variety of games, such as domino wars and knockdown. A game of dominoes helps players learn to count and improves their hand-eye coordination. It also teaches basic math skills. Most domino games involve emptying one’s own hands while blocking opponents’ play, but some involve scoring, such as bergen and muggins.
The term domino is also used to refer to a chain reaction of events that begins with one event and then leads to many more, like the way a series of toppling dominoes cause others to fall over. This is a popular metaphor for systems of interconnected events, such as the global economy or political systems.
If you have ever watched a domino demonstration, you may be amazed at how quickly a simple action can create an intricate pattern. Hundreds or even thousands of dominoes can be lined up and ready to topple with the slightest nudge. This is why builders compete to create the most complex and amazing domino effects or reactions before an audience of viewers at a live show.
When it comes to writing, the concept of a domino effect is useful for describing how scenes work together to build toward a story’s climax. If a writer neglects to think of how each scene affects the next, the reader may be confused or bored by scenes that don’t advance the plot in any meaningful way.
The idea of a domino effect is particularly helpful for writers who do not use outlines to plan their novels ahead of time. If a writer pantses, or writes as they go, the result is often a series of scenes that seem disconnected and unrelated to each other. For example, a detective investigating a murder might find evidence in one scene that suggests the killer is involved in illegal activities in another scene, but this information does not lead to any major developments in the story until the end of the novel.
A successful writer needs to connect each of the dominoes in a neat row so that the climax falls smoothly. This means that the scene before the final act of the novel must have an impact on the main character’s motivations and decisions in the climax. If you don’t have the dominoes in a row, readers are likely to stop reading or tune out as the climax unfolds. This is why it’s important for all writers to be aware of how each scene works in relation to the other scenes in a story. The more a writer understands the concept of the domino effect, the more effective their work will be.