I hear people say, "berries grow on the second-year growth." That may be true, but I tend to garden more simply. I let my berries sit through the fall season and then look at how they appear in the winter to determine which vines I will keep and which I will prune off.
At this time of year, at the base of every blackberry bush, you will have an obviously dead vine (last year's major producer) and a new, greenish-purplish color vine coming out from the base. For older blackberry vines, you will have multiple of each.
(The picture to the right shows four vines coming out of the base of the blackberry plant. The two in the center are both dead; last year's producers. The two vines on the outside are new for this year.)Clip the dead vines at the base, then remove the entire branch. I never compost my blackberry vines since I do not want thorns in my compost and sprinkled around my yard.
Gently bend the green vine around your trellis.
If your vines have grown long enough to touch the ground, they may have rooted. Gently pull the root loose and clip the vine so you have two vines (one attached at the base, and a new vine with roots). If you need a new plant for your garden, dig a hole and plant your new vine. If you have too many already, call up a friend and share your blackberries!
Blackberries, like most other plants, do not grow much in the winter. Keeping the berries off the ground will keep them from disease as well as give you a head-start in keeping the crazy-growing plants under control when the growing season begins. 
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