Barrelhouse Magazine’s Conversations and Connections is a bi-annual, one-day writing conference that brings writers, editors, and publishers together.

Are you a creator, curator, or a critter? Understanding what category you fall into will help you build a more sustainable writing process.

If you’re looking to hone your writing skills and dive deeper into craft, here are three books you should pick up from your local bookstore or library.

The emphasis on killer first lines is misplaced. Worry less about crafting the perfect first line and concentrate on crafting an opening scene that builds momentum.

How you interact with people in and out of the literary community will have a significant impact on your future in the industry. One conversation, one job, one panel has the potential to make or break you.

One Story Magazine editor Hannah Tinti has put a new spin on the traditional narrative structure, and it will change how you think about storytelling.

A traditional narrative arc will help you write your own work and/or evaluate/study how other writers craft their narratives. But while this narrative structure is strong, I would like to make an addition to it: the tipping point.

Whether you are writing a short story or a novel, if you can clearly identify each of these narrative touchpoints, odds are you have the makings of a solid story.

Avoid exposition quicksand while writing by crafting scenes with these three elements.