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No Place Like Home

Technology Writer, Bianca Wright

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Bianca Wright

Translating complicated techno-speak into easy-to-understand English is one of Bianca Wright's greatest gifts. Since 1996, she's been sharing her talent with Office.com, ebody.com, ComputorEdge, Cosmopolitan and our very own Start-Ups.

Working from her home in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Wright, 22, mostly does freelance writing for publications in the States. According to Wright, "The number-one requirement for any freelancer, in my opinion, is a good computer with an Internet connection." Since she already owned the computer stuff, her start-up costs were minimal-about $150.

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Though she didn't have formal training in journalism, Wright was able to hone her skills while working on both her high school and college newspapers. She also had guidance from her family-her mother is a linguistics lecturer, and her father is a computer programmer. Says Wright, "My mother's literary nature and my father's computing knowledge proved extremely useful."

To find work, Wright looks to The Writer's Handbook (Trans-Atlantic Publications Inc., $29.50, 215-925-5083) and also lists herself on freelance directories like Guru.com. But, she says, "The best marketing tool any freelancer can have is doing good work." Keep up with all the latest technology advances, always be on the lookout for new story ideas, and research your market well.

Above all, be confident in yourself. "Being a freelance journalist," says Wright, "means dealing with rejection on a daily basis. Don't take it personally." Given the fact that Wright composes up to eight articles per month and her sales have tripled over the past year, she knows what she's talking about.

Look for part two of our homebased section next month, when you'll get 30 surefire tips for homebased success.

If you're anxious to leave the commute in the dust, check out these outlets for homebased help:



					American Association of Home-Based Businesses, (800) 447-9710, www.aahbb.org Entrepreneur's HomeOfficeMag.com (www.homeofficemag.com) Home Office Association of America, (800) 809-4622, www.hoaa.com How to Raise a Family and a Career Under One Roof: A Parent's Guide to Home Business (Bookhaven Press, $15.95, 800-782-7424) by Lisa M. Roberts National Association of Home Based Businesses, (410) 363-3698, www.usahomebusiness.com The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century: The Inside Information You Need to Know to Select a Home-Based Business That's Right for You (Putnam Publishing Group, $17.95, 800-631-8571) by Paul and Sarah Edwards The Perfect Business: How to Make a Million From Home With No Payroll, No Employee Headaches, No Debts and No Sleepless Nights! (Fireside, $12, 800-223-2336) by Michael LeBoeuf