Write the Vision

By Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor for Southern Writers Magazine

“Write the vision and make it plain upon tables…” Habakkuk 2:2. This is a verse from the Old Testament I often think about. The prophet Habakkuk was given a vision from God and was told to write it down. “Write it down that he may run that readeth it.” How specific, how clear are the instructions. How fortunate for a writer to be given such a vision and told what to do with it. Fortunate indeed but many times that is how things come to writers.

Unlike Habakkuk our vision may not be of a prophetic nature but it can be a vision just the same. Our vision may be a story that comes to us imagined or not. It could have been an actual occurrence that we have yet to recognize as a worthy story to write. It is times like this we may need the command similar to Habakkuk’s, “write the vision”.

One way to determine if the vision is one worthy of writing down is to write them all down. If not as a complete work, write it down as a thought, a paragraph or a short story. That way the clarity of the moment is saved and can be revisited or shared. Shared with someone you can trust to give you an honest evaluation and question your direction and purpose. What you are looking for is the command to “write it down”.

We may not be a Habakkuk but I believe our talents are God given. Whether or not our visions are I can’t always say. I do know that once the vision comes, action must be taken. Don’t hesitate. Write it down. Our creativity will not be available unless we obey the command. Creativity will be determined by taking action, obeying the command and writing it down. It can be as simple as “write the vision.”