How to Write a Text Message Conversation in a Story (5 Formats)

There is no official rule for how to write a text message conversation in a story. Style guides leave it to the writer, and published novels do it a dozen different ways. What every good format has in common is simple:

1. Texts look different from spoken dialogue, so nobody reads them as speech.
2. The reader always knows who sent each message.
3. You use the same format from the first text to the last.

Below are the five formats writers use most, with an example of each, followed by what changes in print, ebooks, Wattpad-style web fiction and audiobooks, and how to make the texts themselves sound real.

5 ways to format text messages in a story

1. Italics inside the paragraph

Best for a single text, or two short ones, that the character reads in passing.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. Still coming tonight? She turned it face down.

Italics mark the words as written, not said. Skip the quotation marks: readers link them with speech, and a text inside quotes looks like the character said it out loud. If your book already uses italics for thoughts, pick another marker for texts (a different font, or format 2) so the two don't blur.

2. Set apart, with the sender's name

Best for a real back-and-forth of three or more messages.

Me: I have a plan

Jack: You really need to let this go. You sound insane

Me: that's not a no

Each message gets its own line and starts with the sender's name. It is the clearest format there is: it survives any ebook reader, any font and any audiobook narrator. Some writers use the narrator's own name instead of "Me", which also works.

3. Bold names, indented like a paragraph

A variant of format 2 that many young adult novels use: the names are bold and each text is indented the same as a normal paragraph, so the exchange sits in the flow of the page instead of looking like a script. If your editor or publisher has a house style, follow it; if not, choose 2 or 3 and keep it.

4. Left and right, like a phone screen

Outgoing texts sit on the right, incoming ones on the left, the way a messaging app shows them. It looks the most like a real phone and needs no names for a two-person chat.

The catch is layout. In a reflowable ebook the staggered indents can collapse, and the conversation turns into one column where nobody can tell who said what. Use this format only when you control the final layout (a print PDF, a fixed-layout ebook, a web page), and keep names ready as a fallback.

5. A screenshot of the conversation

Best for web fiction, Wattpad stories, Instagram or TikTok stories, webcomics and fixed-layout books: drop in an image of the chat, exactly as the character would see it.

A screenshot carries details that prose has to spell out: the time stamp, the "Read" receipt, the gap before a reply, the blue or green bubble. You can make one without your own phone: type the conversation into Fake Text Maker, set the contact's name, the time and the receipts, and download an iPhone-style PNG. It is free and needs no sign-up.

Three things to keep in mind:

• Put the words in the text as well, in an alt text or the paragraph around the image. Screen readers and audiobooks can't read pictures, and search engines read text better.
• Keep every screenshot in the same style: same phone look, same light or dark mode, same contact names.
• Color costs money in print. For a paperback, a grayscale screenshot or format 2 is usually the better choice.

How to format text messages in a novel manuscript

If you are sending a manuscript to agents or editors, keep it plain. Use italics or the name format, keep it consistent, and leave screenshots and phone layouts out of the submission. Layout is the designer's job once a publisher takes the book on. If the visual format matters to the story, say so in a short note to the editor instead.

Text messages in a book, an ebook, Wattpad and audio

The best format depends on where the story will be read:

• Print book: you control the page, so formats 1 to 4 all work. Full-color screenshots raise printing costs.
• Reflowable ebook (Kindle, EPUB): formats 1 to 3 are safe. Staggered left-right layouts can break, and small text inside images is hard to read on a phone.
• Wattpad, web novels, fan fiction: screenshots are common and readers expect them. Many stories are told entirely in chat images.
• Audiobook: the narrator has to say who is texting, so the name format (2 or 3) is the easiest to perform.

Make the texts themselves sound real

Formatting is half of it. The other half is writing messages that read like texts, not like dialogue with the quotation marks taken off.

• Keep them short. People send three quick messages instead of one long one.
• Loosen the punctuation. Lowercase, no final period, a missing apostrophe: that is how people text. Let each character have their own habits. One always uses full stops, another never capitalizes.
• Use emoji and abbreviations sparingly. A little sets the voice; a lot makes the book feel dated in a few years.
• Let timing do the work. A time stamp, a "Read 2:14 AM" with no reply, or the typing dots that appear and vanish can carry more tension than any line of dialogue.
• Show the reaction. Put an action beat between messages: what the character does while waiting, who they show the phone to, whether they type and delete.

I typed sorry and deleted it. Typed it again. The dots on his side appeared, then disappeared, then nothing.

Common mistakes

• Putting texts in quotation marks, so they read as speech.
• Switching formats halfway through the book.
• Long paragraph-length texts that nobody would send.
• A group chat with no names, where the reader loses track of who is talking.
• Screenshots with no text version, which disappear for screen readers and in audio.

FAQ

Should text messages be italicized in a story?

Italics are the most common choice for short texts inside a paragraph. For longer exchanges, a separate line per message with the sender's name is clearer. Either is fine, as long as you use the same format throughout.

Do you use quotation marks for text messages?

Usually not. Quotation marks signal spoken words, so readers may think the character said the text out loud. Italics, a different font or the name format keep the two apart.

How do you write a group chat in a story?

Always name the sender of every message, and keep the chat short. With three or more people, format 2 (name and colon on each line) is the only one that stays clear in every edition.

Can I put screenshots of text messages in my book?

Yes, especially in web fiction, Wattpad and fixed-layout ebooks. Make your own images rather than using screenshots of real people's chats, put the words in the text too, and check printing costs before you use color in a paperback.

How do I show that a text was read but not answered?

In prose, say it: "Read 11:52 PM. Nothing else." In a screenshot, the read receipt under the last message does it for you.