Do you ever look at the front of a magazine and marvel at how beautiful and carefree the contributors look in their bio photos? Well, those are writers like you! Funny how you can crank out thousands of words on a piece but then it can by stymieing to write 50 words on yourself. Should you write a brief bio? ("Claire Zulkey lives in Chicago.") Should you list your previous publications? Should you write something funny? ("Claire Zulkey knows best.")

When in doubt, ask the editors what their contributors often do, and ask if they wouldn't mind sharing a few samples with you. Don't be embarrassed: it's much more embarrassing to go through more drafts of your bio than you went through on your piece.

A good idea is to tie your piece into the publication somehow. "For Parents magazine, for example, I put, 'Jane Doe is an award-winning health writer and mother of three from New York,'" suggested one writer I spoke with.

Same thing goes with your photo, if one is required. Some magazines have more informal pictures of their contributors while others are more straightforward. Just make sure it's clear, not tiny (ask if there are size requirements) and that you're not in an awkward group shot that needs to be cropped. Overall, make sure your bio is something you'd be happy to see and casually point out to your friends when you just 'happen' to walk by a copy of the magazine on the newsstand.