>If not, how would I create a file from a var that contains a string?

Looks like you don't even need the file object. Here's what I got (C#):

using System.IO;
StreamWriter sw = new StreamWriter("c:\\mike.txt");
sw.Write("Hello!");
sw.Close();

*Update:
This was posted about 5 minutes ago by YAG:

Choosing Among File I/O Options in Visual Basic .NET
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/?url=/library/en-us/dv_vstechart/html/vbtchUseFileStreamObject.asp
This article is aimed at the Visual Basic programmer who may be confused by the multiplicity of ways to approach file I/O in Visual Basic .NET. Available alternatives include the methods provided in the Visual Basic .NET runtime, the FileSystemObject, and the methods furnished in the common language runtime. Upon completion, the experienced developer will be familiar with all three and will be equipped to make choices among them.