int rows = 0;
    int columns = 0;
    int currentRowStorage = 5;

    char*** rowStringsPointer = nullptr;

    for (std::string line; std::getline(std::cin, line);) {
        // Set the number of columns from the first line and initialise an array
        // of 5 rows
        if (columns == 0) {
            columns = line.length();
            char** newRowArray = new char*[currentRowStorage];
            for (int i = 0; i < currentRowStorage; ++i) {
                newRowArray[i] = new char[columns + 1];
            }
            rowStringsPointer = &newRowArray;
        }

        // If the current array of rows is too small to add another
        if (rows + 1 > currentRowStorage) {
            // create a new array with capacity of old array + 5
            char** newRowArray = new char*[currentRowStorage + 5];

            // initialise each row as an empty array of column number of chars
            for (int i = 0; i < currentRowStorage + 5; ++i) {
                newRowArray[i] = new char[columns + 1];
            }

            // copy all rows from old array to new one and delete old rows
            for (int i = 0; i < currentRowStorage; ++i) {
                newRowArray[i] = *rowStringsPointer[i];
                delete *rowStringsPointer[i];
            }

            // delete old array
            delete *rowStringsPointer;

            // update pointer to point to new array
            rowStringsPointer = &newRowArray;
        }

        // create a new char array of length columns then copy the characters
        // from this line string
        char row[columns + 1];
        line.copy(row, columns + 1);
        row[columns + 1] = '\0';

        // add new row to array and increment rows counter
        *rowStringsPointer[rows] = row;
        ++rows;
    }