Mike,
Instead of just looking at writer's sites, think about other striking sites you've noticed. The big thing these days is a really clean design, lots of white space, not too many images. The key word is 'responsive.' That's a term of art meaning it'll look good on browsers, tablets, phones, and across operating systems.
You want it to be really easy to update, and easy to organize. That means keeping coding to a minimum, a drag and drop interface, etc. I'm building one right now for a new journal I'm launching soon, and had to find one flexible enough that I could update it daily. I went with Divi, but there are many others out there, no matter what content management system you settle on.
http://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery...ry/responsive/
The other plus: pick something really easy to learn. You don't want to be the prisoner of some script kiddie. Once it's set up, you can do it all yourself. It's the only way to get what you really want.
Best,
Bill