Domino is the name for a game with small, rectangular blocks that have been made in many different materials over the centuries including plastic, wood, bone, ivory, and even stone. These blocks, sometimes called bones, cards, men, or pieces, are usually twice as long as they are wide and have square ends with a number of spots resembling those on dice. When a domino is played, the numbers on both ends are added together to create a chain that grows longer and more complex as the players continue to add tiles. A domino that has no number on either end is known as a blank or zero, and one that has the same value on both ends is called a double.

When a domino is placed on the table, it must touch the end of another domino, and the shape of the chain develops into a snake-line according to the whims of the players and the limitations of the playing surface. Dominos are also used in games of skill, such as bergen and muggins, where the goal is to be the first player to reach a specific total often 61. In these games, each domino has two numbers on each face and the player must add the pips on the open ends of their tiles to reach this number.

Hevesh, a young artist who has gained fame for her domino designs on YouTube, takes the time to test each section of an installation before putting it all together. Her process is a lot like the way an engineer would approach designing a bridge or building. She starts by considering the theme or purpose of an installation and then brainstorming images or words that might come to mind. Once she has a general idea of what she wants to create, she begins testing out different arrangements in slow motion on her YouTube channel.

Once a domino is in place, it can take several nail-biting minutes for the rest to fall. When that happens, the energy stored in the potential of each domino — the energy it could have had if it had been standing on its edge — is converted to kinetic energy as it is pushed down by the next piece, and so on until the last domino falls.

The Domino Effect

Whether you write your manuscript off the cuff or carefully outline it, you can still benefit from Hevesh’s domino-building philosophy. The more you consider the impact of each action on the next, the better chance you have of creating a story that captivates your readers.