Dominoes, cousins of playing cards, are one of the world’s oldest tools for games. From professional domino game competition to setting them up and then knocking them over, these rigid blocks allow for a multitude of ways to play, challenge, and test one’s patience and skill.
A domino’s pips—a line of dots, arranged in alternating black and white, that mark its value—are traditionally carved in ivory or bone. Some sets also feature the top half thickness of silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl) or a dark hardwood like ebony, with contrasting inlaid or painted pips.
In addition to enhancing the appearance of a set, these materials also contribute to its unique feel and sound, which can help distinguish it from sets made with modern polymer materials. Natural materials also offer a more substantial weight than polymer, which can enhance a domino’s perceived durability and quality.
Hevesh began creating domino displays as a child and by age 10 had started posting videos of her creations on YouTube. She now has more than 2 million subscribers and has built stunning domino constructions for film and TV projects, as well as an album launch for pop singer Katy Perry. Her largest setups can take several nail-biting minutes to fall.
When Hevesh builds her displays, she begins with 3-D sections first and then adds flat arrangements of dominoes. To make sure each section works properly, she tests it before putting them all together. This allows her to make precise corrections if something doesn’t work as planned. Hevesh makes the tests even more impressive by arranging her creations on a large canvas and recording them in slow motion.
For Hevesh, building and testing her creations is not just a fun hobby—it’s an art form. She has created a community of domino fans who follow her progress online and have helped her to expand her business and create new opportunities for herself.
The history of the word “domino” is as colorful as its physical characteristics. In English, it began as a slang term for a long hooded cloak worn with a mask during carnival season or at a masquerade party. In French, it originally denoted a cape worn by a priest over his or her surplice.
Whether you are a “pantser,” who writes by the seat of your pants, or a plotter who spends time outlining your manuscript, a clear sense of how each scene relates to the ones that came before it is essential for developing a coherent, compelling novel. As you consider what comes next in your story, remember that just as a single small domino can cause an entire line to collapse, the same is true for your fiction. If a scene does not advance the story in some way, it is likely to be a dud and should be eliminated from your novel. Fortunately, there are many ways to weed out these scenes—including using scene cards and incorporating the domino effect into your plotting.