diff --git a/index.php b/index.php
index 31c517e..86ff299 100644
--- a/index.php
+++ b/index.php
@@ -77,29 +77,28 @@
         </div>
 
         <?php
-        // write to file
-        if (!is_null($_POST["body"]) && strlen($_POST["body"]) != 0) {
-            // read into a string and concatenate new post to the beginning of the string
-            $myfile = fopen("posts.txt", "r") or die("Unable to open file!");
-            $construct = fread($myfile,filesize("posts.txt"));
-            fclose($myfile);
+        // read file into string
+        $myfile = fopen("posts.txt", "r") or die("Unable to open file!");
+        $content = fread($myfile,filesize("posts.txt"));
+        fclose($myfile);
 
+        // write new post to file if necessary
+        if (!is_null($_POST["body"]) && strlen($_POST["body"]) != 0) {
+            // concatenate new post to the beginning of the string
             $signature = "anonymous";
             if (!is_null($_POST["signature"]) && strlen($_POST["signature"]) != 0) {
                 $signature = htmlspecialchars($_POST["signature"]);
             }
-            $construct = $signature . " [UTC " . date("m/d/Y H:i") . "] " . htmlspecialchars($_POST["body"]) . "<br>" . $construct;
+            $content = $signature . " [UTC " . date("m/d/Y H:i") . "] " . htmlspecialchars($_POST["body"]) . "<br>" . $construct;
 
-            // write back into the file
+            // write string back into the file
             $myfile = fopen("posts.txt", "w") or die("Unable to open file!");
-            fwrite($myfile, $construct);
+            fwrite($myfile, $content);
             fclose($myfile);
         }
 
-        // read from file
-        $myfile = fopen("posts.txt", "r") or die("Unable to open file!");
-        echo fread($myfile,filesize("posts.txt"));
-        fclose($myfile);
+        // show content
+        echo $content;
         ?>
 
     </body>