There are two ways to tell your reader what a character said. You can report it, like this: Sam said he was scared. Or you can let the character talk out loud with their exact words: 'I am so scared!' Sam whispered. The second way feels alive.

Quotation marks show a character's exact words. They look like tiny floating commas, and they hug the words the character actually says. Everything a character says out loud goes snugly inside those marks.

The words a character speaks are called dialogue. Dialogue is like turning up the volume on your story so the reader can hear the characters, not just read about them. It makes people feel real.

Here is a simple recipe. Put an opening quotation mark, write exactly what the character says, add a comma or a question mark, then a closing quotation mark. 'Where is my hat?' asked Maya. Notice her exact words sit safely inside the marks.

Dialogue makes a story feel alive instead of just reported. When characters chat, argue, or laugh, the reader feels like they are right there in the room. A page of talking is way more fun than a page that only tells.

Do not make every single line dialogue, though. Mix talking with action so the reader knows who is speaking and what they are doing. A little dialogue in the right spot can light up your whole story.