How to Create a Domino Effect in a Story

A domino is a small rectangular block of wood or plastic with one or more sides marked by dots resembling those on dice. When a domino is played, it triggers the fall of other dominoes that are nearby or lying in wait, and the sequence continues until all the dominoes have fallen or no more plays can be made. In addition to being a popular game, dominoes can also be used in art projects, including building structures such as towers and pyramids. There are hundreds of different variations of domino games, but most of them fall into four categories: blocking and scoring games, tile matching games, and a handful of other games.

In the most basic of domino variants, each player begins with a set of 28 tiles (double-six sets) that are shuffled together and form what is called the stock or boneyard. Players draw the number of tiles from the stock that they are allowed to, depending on the rules of their game. They then arrange these tiles on the table in front of them, forming a line or string of play. If a player is unable to match any of their tiles to the open ends of those already on the table, they “knock” or raps the table and pass play on to the next person.

As the line of play progresses, each domino may be shifted or moved to another position in order to create better matches. Some dominoes are considered spinners, meaning that they can be played on all four sides of the tile they touch, while others may be played only on two of the sides. A score is made in some domino games by counting the total number of pips on the ends of a row of played dominoes as the line moves forward, and a player may win the game by achieving this count.

While the domino effect in a story is not quite as drastic, it is still important to consider how your scenes logically connect and shift. For example, a character’s emotional beats should move in tandem with the scenes that come before and after them, like dominoes falling one by one.

Creating the most interesting domino displays requires planning out how all of the pieces will fit together, and it is important to practice on paper before trying out the design on the actual floor. For example, Hevesh makes a test version of each section of her designs and then films them in slow motion so she can make precise corrections if necessary. When she is satisfied that her creation works as planned, she starts assembling it, beginning with the largest 3-D sections and then working down to the smaller ones. She says that the most satisfying part of the process is seeing it all work. She loves the feeling of accomplishment when all her hard work pays off and she can see the whole piece in its entirety.