You start with a big idea and you distill it down into something simple.
And appropriately, it can be simple to write something down that makes things simple for somebody else.
The trick is The Rule of Three.
I'll show you what I mean.

Become an Opensource.net author in 3 easy steps!

1. Find your Why
2. Find your What
3. Find your Words

## Why you should write for Opensource.net

* Share information
* Promote open source 
* Build your personal brand online

## What's in it for you

* Prove to your boss that you ~~deserve a raise~~ are special
* Learn something by teaching something
* Create more experts

## How to write

1. Write down the 3 steps it requires to do the thing.
** More than 3 steps? Widen the steps or write another article!
2. Under each step, write 3 substeps explaining the main step.
3. Write a paragraph at the top explaining why a reader is reading your article, and a paragraph at the bottom explaining what the reader should do next.

Finished? Send your draft to open@opensource.com

## Bonus tips

* Write to one person, using singular everything. No "we, let's, us" pronouns.
* Write as if your reader is doing the task right now: no "will, should, could" verbs.
* Write for one clear result. Teach, persuade, or enlighten your reader about one idea.
* Bonus: bonus tips don't count toward the rule of three.






Opensource.net is a website built to promote the open source and free software in both technology, culture, and industry.
In other words, it's one of hundreds of blogs on the Internet with information on it.
What sets it apart, though, is that we're committed to telling the stories of people who are actually using open source principles in what they do.
We don't seed clickbait, we don't copy and paste instructions from user manuals and call it an article, we don't write about things that "should" work.
Opensource.net is a site written by practitioners of open source, to share information with other humans.