No matter which writing style you employ–pantsing (which involves writing without outlining or planning every detail in advance) or plotting (in which every aspect of your story is planned out beforehand)–the essence of an engaging novel comes down to answering one simple question: what’s next? One approach that can help ensure this question is addressed effectively is by employing the domino effect, where every scene in your novel influences those that follow; using this strategy ensures scenes advance plot in an orderly fashion.

The term domino comes from Latin dominium, meaning “basis.” It originally referred to a square block made of wood or ivory and either blank or bearing from one to six dots on each end; these values added together represented rank or weight of each piece in play. Over time, however, domino came to represent both game play and its pieces being arranged into various patterns ranging from flat structures such as towers or pyramids.

Domino is equipped with mutant powers that enable her to break the laws of probability, altering them in her favor while making opponents suffer “bad luck.” Her psionic aura creates unexpected events which alter an outcome; whether that means having an opponent’s equipment malfunction or throwing a bomb at exactly the right moment to shut down an overloaded machine.

A strong plot relies on domino scenes that advance or retreat the hero towards his goal, much like how domino sets advance when their pieces come together. Each scene in your novel should serve like dominoes by contributing tension and interest while also contributing to the larger picture as a whole. Furthermore, their domino effect helps readers understand why your protagonist acts the way she does–or in cases of immoral conduct, why they remain as characters.

Domino effect creation takes careful planning. For pantsers, an outline tool like Scrivener may help organize your plot and eliminate unnecessary scenes; plotters might try experimenting with various domino arrangements to see which works best with their plot. Hevesh builds her installations in sections, starting with 3-D shapes before adding flat arrangements and finally lines of dominoes that connect everything together – she tests each individual part before connecting everything up so she can make precise corrections if something goes amiss.

Hevesh’s most complex domino art involves creating grids of curved lines, which require complex calculations. She conducts tests of each section before beginning her full installation; she films each test version slowly moving in slow motion to check its integrity; additionally she estimates how many of each color she needs before beginning building–saving time and frustration as she counts tens of thousands of dominoes by hand!