Domino is a small, flat, rectangular block used as a gaming object. They can be made of wood or bone, and are also called bones, men, pieces or tiles. A domino has a line in the middle that divides it visually into two squares, each marked with an arrangement of spots or “pips” like those on a die. The sum of the pips on each side is its value. The first domino that falls triggers a chain reaction that continues down the line of dominoes until all the pieces have fallen, or they are all arranged in such a way that no more can fall.
A domino is an impressive sight to behold, whether it is a single piece set up in careful sequence or hundreds or thousands of dominoes lined up and ready to fall with the slightest nudge. It is this ability to create a seemingly endless stream of chain reactions that has made the sport of dominoes so popular worldwide.
Hevesh spends hours designing and testing each of her mind-blowing domino creations. Using a version of the engineering-design process, she starts by considering the theme or purpose of an installation. From there, she brainstorms images or words that might be appropriate for the display. She then makes a rough draft of the overall layout. From there, she creates individual sections and tests each one individually before putting it all together.
Then she repeats the process until she has the full domino installation filmed in slow motion. This allows her to make precise corrections when something doesn’t work as intended. In this way, she can refine her domino designs until they are perfectly perfected.
It also helps Hevesh understand how the whole setup works, so she can make sure that it will be able to perform as planned. For example, she tries to make sure that all the biggest 3-D sections will stand up before she adds the smaller flat arrangements. She also tries to test each part of the entire domino setup before attempting to build it all at once.
The key to creating a domino effect in fiction is providing enough logic for readers to give your hero permission to do something that might seem immoral. For example, if you have your hero shoot a stranger or have an affair, you must provide a reason why his actions are okay in the context of your story.
Another important factor is ensuring that the domino is large enough to cause a chain reaction and yet small enough that you can control it easily. If you try to use a domino that is too large, it will be difficult to control. A good rule of thumb is to use a domino that is twice as long as it is wide.