WordPress or Standard Web Site?

Hi,
I really need some input here.
I’m brand new to WordPress, just installed the latest version on my Cpanel (actually, I had someone do it for me).
I want to build a new website. In the past I’ve built a couple using Yahoo! sitebuilder, a wysiwyg, using one of their templates. No problems, looks fine.
Now I need something more sophisticated. I want to build one with multiple static pages, a couple of pages where I’ll add video from places like YouTube, and a page or two which will show my own articles (I’m a writer). I also want to add forums for a few different cities. I’ll probably use Simple Machines or PunBB.
My Problem? I don’t know code, I need to spend most of my time writing articles, so I don’t have a lot of time to learn xhtml or other code. Also, I can’t afford to pay someone to do this for me, so I’m on my own.
What do you guys think? Should I use WordPress, use a sitebuilder with a template of some kind? Or what? I’ve been racking my brains trying to figure this out and really need some suggestions from people who know the difference and who know what they’re doing.
Thanks for reading.