People want to see what you've written before.

This means you'll need to refer to articles you've written on your own blog and any posts you've written elsewhere. If you don't have a blog yet, go set one up with tools like WordPress.com or Tumblr.

If you choose to download Wordpress.org and self-host it, you can find some solid free themes from sites like Dessign or Smashing Magazine. (If that confused you, just click WordPress.com and start there).

You can also find some nice paid themes from Themeforest if you don't have much time or design talent available.