A domino, also known as a double-six, is a small rectangular wood or plastic block with an identity-bearing side and a blank or identically patterned other face. The identity-bearing side is marked with an arrangement of spots resembling those on dice. The word is derived from the Latin word domini, meaning “heavy.” When one domino falls, it causes other, similar ones to fall in a chain reaction.
Dominoes are typically used to play positional games. In these, players take turns placing dominoes edge to edge on each other in a line so that the adjacent edges form identical totals or some other specified pattern. When all of the tiles in a line of play are played, the open ends of the dominoes are called the count.
While many popular domino games have different rules, most of them fit into one of four categories: bidding games, blocking games, and scoring games. In bidding games, the player with the highest-valued domino makes the first play. In blocking games, players try to prevent the other players from making plays they would like to make. In scoring games, the winning player tries to collect as many points as possible.
When a player draws more than the number of dominoes he is permitted to draw for his hand, it is said that he has overdrawn. The player to his right takes the excess, without looking at them, and returns them to the stock. They are then reshuffled before the next player draws his hand.
Unlike playing cards, which have a fixed number of suits and ranks, dominoes have no such limitation. However, they do have a limited set of values that must be respected to make the game work.
In a game of domino, the players sit around a table. Depending on the game, seating arrangements are determined by drawing dominoes from the stock. The player who draws the heaviest domino is seated in first place, followed by the player with the second-heaviest domino. Then, the remaining players seat themselves in a manner determined by the rules of the game.
When it comes to writing, domino can refer to a scene or sequence of scenes in a story that have no real relationship with the rest of the plot. It can also mean a plot element that doesn’t add tension or raise the stakes for the reader. Whether you’re a pantser, relying on your intuition instead of a detailed outline, or a plotter, using this image as a tool to check that your scenes connect and build upon each other can be helpful. You’ll know when you have a scene that doesn’t connect well with the others when it doesn’t feel like a natural continuation of the story’s action or theme. You can fix this by reworking the scene to connect more naturally with the rest of the narrative. The result is a smoother, more coherent story. You may also find that your scene isn’t generating enough dramatic tension on its own, but can be pushed into place by adding an additional character or modifying the direction of the conflict.