We’ve all seen those beautiful domino constructions where the first piece is tipped ever so slightly and then all the rest fall in a rhythmic cascade. It’s a perfect metaphor for the domino effect—any action that leads to much greater (and sometimes even catastrophic) consequences. When you’re writing scenes for your novel, consider laying them out like dominoes and see how the individual pieces work together. Does your scene follow the logic of the story and do all the dominoes (or domino effects) fall in a smooth and logical way?
The word domino is the Latin word for “lord” or “master.” The term is also used to describe a sequence of events, as in the phrase “the Domino Theory,” referring to the belief that a change in one communist country will cause a chain reaction in neighboring countries.
A domino is a flat, thumb-sized rectangular block used in a variety of games. It is normally twice as long as it is wide and bears a numbered arrangement of dots or pips, usually from 0-6 in most variants. 28 such pieces make up a complete domino set.
Dominoes are stacked on end in long lines, with the identifying marks on the face facing down. The other side of the pieces is blank or identically patterned. In addition to being used for games, dominoes are often arranged in a variety of symmetrical and angular patterns. The pips on a domino are often referred to as ranks or weights, with higher values suggesting a heavier tile.
Hevesh, whose YouTube channel has more than 2 million followers, started out building domino structures as a kid. She now creates mind-blowing domino installations for movies, TV shows, and events—including the recent album launch of Katy Perry. Her largest projects take weeks of nail-biting work to build and can involve millions of dominoes.
When Hevesh makes a domino installation, she starts by considering the theme or purpose of it. Then she brainstorms images or words that might relate to the project. She then sketches out her ideas and builds test versions of the smaller sections of the display. She films these tests in slow motion so she can make precise adjustments if they aren’t working well.
The larger sections go up first and Hevesh adds the flat arrangements and lines of dominoes that connect all the 3-D pieces. She’s not afraid to make changes, as she knows that each element of the design is interdependent on its neighbors. Hevesh says that her process is like an engineering-design method. “I start with a goal or vision and then I design the parts of it that are going to get me there,” she says.
While many people enjoy dominoes for their game-playing value, others prefer them as art. The beauty of Hevesh’s designs is in their visual appeal and the fact that her creations are so intricate and detailed. But if you’re not an artist, don’t worry—you can still enjoy the beauty of a domino structure by simply watching Hevesh’s impressive videos on her YouTube channel.