A domino is a small tile that represents the result of rolling two dice. Its ends contain numbers ranging from 0 to 6. The most popular domino set contains 28 tiles, called a double-six set. The domino’s identifying marks, known as pips, are an arrangement of spots, like those on a die, except that some of the squares are blank. Unlike playing cards, which have suits, a domino has no specific suit, although the dominoes that share a single number (such as six) are often grouped together as a suit.
Dominoes are used in a variety of games, including blocking and scoring games. In blocking games, players play one domino against another, positioning the tiles edge to edge until they match or form a specified total. Then they play the next piece to that matching end. Typically, an additional tile can only be played to the short side of a domino that has one or more open ends. This is because a double dominates both ends, and a domino that has an open end can only be positioned with the matching side touching that open end.
Depending on the game, the rules for the number of points earned when a domino falls over vary. The player who reaches a specified number of points in a given number of rounds wins the game. The winning number may be determined by counting the number of pips on opposing players’ dominoes, or it might be determined by assigning a value to each double (e.g., a 6-6 counts as 12).
In addition to blocking and scoring games, dominoes are also used for positional play. In these games, each player in turn places a domino on a pre-established layout. The dominoes are placed so that their matching ends touch, and the chain develops in a snake-line fashion. Usually, the open ends of a domino are considered to be either long or short, but occasionally, a double is played with its matching end touching both, forming a cross-way connection.
In a similar manner, if a scene in your novel doesn’t have enough logical impact on the scenes that follow it, it’s probably not a good domino effect. If you write as a pantser, that is, without a detailed outline, you’ll likely have some scenes that are either at the wrong angle or don’t have enough of an impact.
You might need to nudge these scene dominoes into place so that they have a greater impact. A good way to do that is by using scene cards. Scene cards are the equivalent of dominoes in the world of writing. A scene card can help you visualize a specific scene in your book, or it can be a reminder of the importance of a certain element of a scene. Scene cards can help you create a more compelling, logical domino effect. The best scene cards are ones that are clear, concise and to the point.