A domino is a flat thumb-sized block of wood or ivory (usually with a painted or molded design) or of a material such as metal, plastic, or ceramic clay. It has two sides, one with a blank or decorative surface and the other bearing from one to six spots, commonly called pips; 28 such tiles make up a complete set of dominoes. Dominoes are used to play a variety of games, most of which involve matching the ends of adjacent pieces and laying them down in lines or angular patterns.

Dominoes arrive from France in the late 18th Century and seem to have become very popular at that time in taverns and inns. Their name is probably derived from the French word for the black and white hooded mask worn by Christian priests in winter.

The game is very simple; each player places a tile onto the table positioning it so that its opposite end touches another piece. Then, the players in turn add to the chain of dominoes by placing additional pieces on top of that. If a domino has a number on its opposite side, the chain of dominoes that results develops a snake-like shape and can advance in any direction. The chain can also be stopped by placing a tile on it with its number showing at only one end.

In the early days of Domino’s, its leadership had a major impact on its success. As the business started to falter in 2004, new CEO Brandon Doyle quickly put a lot of changes into effect and re-emphasized the company’s core values, one of which is “Champion Our Customers.” This included relaxing the dress code, implementing leadership training programs, and even revamping the college recruiting system. But perhaps the biggest change was a commitment to listen to Domino’s employees and to take their complaints seriously.

Whether it’s a Domino’s pizza delivery or a story in a novel, the key to success is timing. If a scene is too long and slow, it won’t be interesting to the reader; but if a scene moves too fast or skips over crucial plot points, the impact is lost.

If you are a pantser writer who doesn’t use outlines or Scrivener to plan your story, it can be tempting to skimp on the scenes that advance the plot or the argument. But if a story is to keep its momentum, those scenes must be carefully spaced like dominoes to ensure that the effect of one scene naturally influences the next scene. Otherwise, the story can get choppy and unnecessarily repetitive. And, just like a domino chain, no one wants to watch a story fall apart.