Domino is a set of 28 small oblong pieces, each bearing an arrangement of 0-6 “pips” or spots (as on dice), that can be used to play a variety of games. The name derives from the Latin dominus, meaning master. The pieces can be stacked on end in long lines. When one domino in a line is tipped, it causes the other pieces to fall over, leading to a sequence of often complex designs. The term domino has also come to mean a chain reaction of events, with a single event starting a series of similar or related events that eventually lead to significant consequences, as in the domino effect.

Dominoes are a popular children’s toy, but they can also be used to build geometric shapes and patterns. In fact, the world’s largest domino display was created in 2008 by artist and engineer Markus Krause, who created a 2,546-piece spiraling structure measuring 30 feet wide and 60 feet high. The massive creation required more than 200,000 pounds of dominoes to construct.

Hevesh has been creating domino art since she was 10 years old, and she started a YouTube channel to share her work with other fans of the game. She’s worked on projects involving up to 300,000 dominoes and helped set a Guinness record for the largest dominoes ever toppled in a circular arrangement: 76,017. Her newest displays are typically made up of thousands of dominoes that take several nail-biting minutes to fall in place.

In order to create her impressive displays, Hevesh tests each section of the design before assembling it all together. She films the test in slow motion, which allows her to make precise corrections if something doesn’t go right. For example, if the first domino in a row is too far back from its neighbor, Hevesh may add more space between them or change the positioning of an existing piece.

Dominoes are traditionally made from bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted. More recently, sets have been made from many other natural materials, including stone (e.g., marble, granite or soapstone); metals such as brass and pewter; ceramic clay; and glass.

Whether you write off the cuff or use an outline to guide your novel, it’s helpful to think of every plot beat as a domino. Like a domino, a scene that doesn’t add tension or momentum to the storyline isn’t going to work. But if you can push that first domino past its tipping point, the rest of the scene is sure to follow suit. This is how the best stories get their starts.