Bill,Been there, done that.
The ONLY way to do HTML is to hand code it using a simple HTML editor. I use 1st Page 2000 - HTML Editor. It's free and reasonably easy to figure out. You can buy MS's Front Page for $125 and create hugely bloated, so-so pages, but in the end you're going to have to do some hand coding.
Go down to your local book store and buy "Creating a Web Page with HTML" by Elizabeth Castro. This will get you started. While you are there, buy a copy of her "HTML for the World Wide Web". This is the advanced stuff.
Every thing that Poindexter said, but once you have your template, you have to hand code your own info.
Bob