Discover how O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find uses structural torque—a twist in belief built scene-by-scene—to transform plot into catharsis, and learn how to apply it in your own writing.

Torque is the difference between plot and story. Most writers escalate conflict. But torque bends character. This essay breaks down how it works—and how to structure it.

Scenes don’t carry a story. Sequences do. This lesson breaks down how to structure narrative momentum that escalates and turns—so your story doesn’t just move, it changes.

O’Connor didn’t build scenes—she built a sequence. This breakdown shows how escalating structure, not shock or sentiment, drives the story’s moral turn.