Dominos are a classic way to see a chain reaction in action. One small move from the first domino triggers an entire series of reactions that can lead to disaster, redemption or – at the very least – change. The same principle holds true for many learning challenges. Students can get overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to complete in order to pass a test, but with a little help from their tutors and their parents, they can learn to tackle each challenge as if it were a set of dominoes.
A domino is a square piece of plastic or wood, shaped to look like the number six. Each side of the domino features a pattern of spots, or “pips,” that are either blank, identical to the other side, or marked with varying numbers of dots. A domino is usually twice as long as it is wide. Each domino also has a line down the middle to divide it visually into two equal parts.
Dominoes can be used in games of chance and skill, and they are often arranged to create elaborate, eye-catching displays. In addition to domino shows, where builders compete for the best and most complex setups, Dominoes can also be found on the internet as part of social media challenges.
Hevesh, an amateur domino artist based in California, has amassed more than 2 million YouTube subscribers by creating intricate domino displays. Hevesh’s largest creations feature tens of thousands of dominoes, and it can take several nail-biting minutes for the entire sequence to fall. Hevesh has even worked on projects for movies, TV and events.
When writing a novel, it’s easy to think of a plot as a set of dominoes. The first domino is the scene, the second is the conflict and the third is the resolution. The rest of the story simply depends on the effect that each event in the chain has on the characters and setting. Whether you write an entire manuscript off the cuff or carefully outline your ideas, using the domino effect to drive your story can help keep your readers engaged.
Plotting a novel can be frustrating and intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Learning how to use the domino effect can make your next book a success, no matter how complicated the plot.
Domino has joined Wolverine and his black ops team, X-Force, on a number of occasions. She’s also helped out on a few freelance missions, including battling the Undying alien Aentaeros and rescuing her friend Semijan from assassin Blockade. Following a volatile encounter with Cable at his Hell’s Kitchen safehouse, Domino was almost killed by Blockade, whom she had previously possessed. Fortunately, Jesse Aaronson’s ability to disrupt machinery allowed her to deactivate Domino’s implant. The mutant later teamed up with her former foe to fight the new villain Gryaznova, whom Cable vengefully wiped his memory of. Dom then rejoined X-Force after Pete Wisdom recruited her for his new proactive black ops team.