The word domino may not conjure up thoughts of a game with wooden pieces, but this simple building block can be used in a multitude of ways. In writing, dominoes are scenes that help your story to build and develop toward its climax. In an effective story, these scene dominoes fall one after another in a smooth action that unites all of the elements of your plot and keeps the momentum going until the final climax.

Dominoes are rectangular pieces with a line running down the middle, separating the ends into two squares, each with an arrangement of spots–called pips–similar to those on dice. The pips on each end identify the domino’s value. The most common set has one unique domino for every possible combination of two ends with zero to six spots. These are called “double-six” sets, though other sets with more or less dominoes exist.

These pieces are commonly made from ivory, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), bone, or a dark wood such as ebony with contrasting black or white pips inlaid on their faces. But they can also be made of marble, granite, soapstone, other types of stones; metals such as brass and pewter; or ceramic clay.

In addition to their traditional use in games, dominoes are often used as a learning tool to teach basic math and counting skills. There are many different types of domino games, but most involve emptying a player’s hand or blocking an opponent’s play by placing the pieces so they cannot be moved until the other players have passed their turns. A few games, such as bergen and muggins, are scoring games that determine points by counting the number of pips on the winning tile in the losing player’s hand.

Some domino players are known for their intricate setups, including Hevesh, who has created impressive displays for movies and TV shows, as well as a number of events for celebrities. Her largest installations can take several nail-biting minutes to complete, as she carefully places each domino to the right position and then lets the physics of gravity take over.

Hevesh has an amazing YouTube channel where she posts videos of her domino work. She is particularly impressive because she creates the entire set of dominoes herself, rather than relying on a company to supply her with the pieces. She has even created dominoes for her favorite foods, like pizza and tacos.