Interview with Garrett Carroll

HH: Hi Garrett! Tell us a little bit about the person and writer that you are! 

GC: I am a writer (primarily of poetry) and a musician by obsession. I've been interested in writing and music since I was a child. My life has basically unraveled alongside my creative pursuits. Aside from music and writing, I am also an animal lover, I enjoy writing analytically about literature, linguistics, I prefer planning and organizing things, and my favorite drink is chai with honey.

HH: What rituals/practices are associated with your current writing process? 

GC: I don't have a strict writing process, as most of my ideas occur spontaneously and/or along a thread of ideas. If I had to pick out any ritualistic part of my writing process, it would be that I handwrite many of my poems before they end up in a word doc. I usually work through five to ten drafts before settling on the quality of a poem, and this is always an ongoing process, even with poems already published. Tinkering with language is the main part of my process.

HH: Who/what is your muse and why? 

GC: My muse is Jesus Christ, and I find it important to maintain some amount of humility as a writer and poet. Being a writer is a life-long journey, it feels best to enjoy it while I can.

HH: GC's muse is JC! Tell us about some of your favourite writers and why you like them.

GC: Samuel Taylor Coleridge: He writes with clear intent and clarity, and in his nonfiction writing from his Autobiographia Literaria to his letters and journaling, it's clear that he had a great interest in understanding the overall constructs of language. 

H.G. Wells: I read The Time Traveler, War of the Worlds, and The Invisible Man as a freshman in college, and those books were helpful to me as a writer in understanding the importance of imagery and description. It is important to paint an image for the reader, in other words.

HH: If you could collaborate on an artistic project with anyone, who would it be? 

GC: It's a toss-up between Joni Mitchell or Slash. I've been playing guitar for a while now, and they each seem to have constant collaborative work.

HH: Excellent choices! Tell us about something you fear? 

GC: I fear not being able to make the world a better place, however I might be able to do so.

HH: Tell us about your favourite film. 

GC: My favorite film is Interstellar. It's visually spectacular, and it tells a straightforward family tale in such an epic way. The space travel in the film also utilizes much of the real science on black holes and time slippage. It's a wonderful and long film, and I've watched it on and off since it was released.

HH: Brilliant film indeed! Hows's this? I'm giving you a plane ticket to anywhere in the world for a week. Where would it be and why? 

GC: Sweden. I've always had an interest in cold climates and Scandinavian culture, so it'd be awesome to visit and see everything in person.

HH: Tell us about one of your darkest fantasies. 

GC: I would like to have the power to raise the dead from their graves, use some Dungeons & Dragons tricks to buff their HP and mana states, and then become the emperor of a necromancer nation.

HH: What's next on the cards for Garrett Carroll?

GC: I'll be busy continuing to write poems and stories, working on new music, and starting work on writing full-length books. I also want to promote literacy and music appreciation.