A domino is a small, flat rectangular block used as a gaming object. Its ends are either blank or have from one to six spots, called pips. A set of 28 such pieces makes up a full domino set. A domino is similar to a deck of playing cards or dice in that it can be used for various games. Some of these are based on counting the pips and others involve blocking the opponent’s play.
Dominos have been around for centuries. They were first produced by the Chinese in the late 15th or early 16th century. The term “domino” is derived from the Latin dominium, meaning “little dome.” Traditionally, they have been made of wood, bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or other rigid materials. The most popular type of domino today is the clay-based polystyrene or ABS plastic domino. However, a variety of other materials can be used, such as metal, ceramics, or glass.
Many children enjoy arranging dominoes in long lines and then tiling them over. The first domino that tips over triggers the next to tip and so on until the whole chain of dominoes falls over. These chains can be quite elaborate, with curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, or three-dimensional structures such as towers and pyramids.
The word domino also has a more general sense that refers to something that is inevitable, or that has the power to bring down larger things. This is a central theme of the 1983 film Domino, in which a physics professor proves that the power of a domino toppling another is much greater than we might think.
When Hevesh sets up her mind-blowing dominoes, she follows a version of the engineering design process. She considers the theme or purpose of the installation, brainstorms images or words she might want to use, and then comes up with a plan for how the dominoes will be placed in relation to each other. This step is crucial because, as we know from physics, every piece of a domino setup must be positioned in such a way that it can push on the next domino to cause it to fall over.
When writing a novel, if we don’t plan the plot ahead of time using outlines or software such as Scrivener, we will probably end up with scenes that don’t have enough impact to trigger the domino effect. They might be at the wrong angle or they might not have enough logical relevance to the scene before it. This can make the story slow and plodding, or it might even stall out altogether. Think of each plot beat in your story as a single domino. If the next domino doesn’t tip over your character and cause her to take an action that will lead to the climax, it may not be worth telling.