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WGAW members show Connect where they write during the pandemic.

You might recognize the title “Gimme Shelter” as the opening track to the Rolling Stones’ 1969 hit album Let It Bleed. There has been much speculation about the inspiration for the lyrics—from sheltering from the social turbulence of the ’60s, to seeking shelter from sudden natural disasters and sheltering from the suspicion of a partner’s infidelity. Wherever you land, one thing is certain: lately, all of us have become familiar with some form of sheltering as we seek refuge from the world’s first pandemic in over 100 years. To find out where writers are gettin’ shelter, Connect asked Guild members to show us where they are writing during the pandemic.

Here are a few member submissions so far:

“This is where I usually work, writing my first drafts by hand on a notepad. The chair’s been empty since April 17 (except for an old leather overcoat that now serves as upholstery) because the 17th was when I finished the script for a graphic novel, and I haven’t written anything since.

I’ve heard a lot of writers say writers should write every day, and I’d probably be better off if I did. But would the world be any better off?”

—Stan Berkowitz (The 99, The Adventures of Superboy)

“If I were to turn on every computer in this room, Los Angeles suffers a brownout and I go sterile.”

—Steven L. Sears (Sheena, Xena: Warrior Princess, Raven, Swamp Thing, The A-Team)

“My quarantine creative vortex space...tucked away behind Orcutt Ranch. Revising my next feature. Writing my new book. The lockdown has filtered out the noise, the static, and opened a direct portal to highly creative frequencies. Soon this virus will fade into the wind and a heightened awareness for the better good will come... One step closer to global harmony.”

—Martin Guigui (Nine Eleven, La Motta The Bronx Bull)

“Hi fellow scribes! This is where I've been writing since the lockdown. And hey, I'm 17 pounds lighter! THE WRITE RIDE.”

—Susie Singer Carter (My Mom and the Girl)

We would love to hear about how you are navigating the pandemic. Please send your photos, personal essays, questions, and story ideas to Connect.