On iPad, dictate and type text.
support.apple.com
There are actually quite a few more commands that work with dictation. I had/have a longer list of commands that I put together when the iPad was still in the early years. Yes, dictation is a really old feature on the iPad.
If interested, I can see if I can find it. But the commands in the article are probably all you need.
As for using Pages, that should work fine. If you really dig in, you can even use it to publish an ebook. The problem with using Pages is resisting the urge to get everything looking nice, when you should probably spend most of your time getting the words right. Tweaking can come after.
There are so many really great writing apps for the iPad, it’s very difficult to pick one, let alone recommend one. I generally find myself convinced to get whichever one I’ve just seen reviewed, and I’m not even a writer. The important think is to pick one, but make sure it will export your work in a standard format, so that you can change your mind later. Pages fits that criteria. You can start with it, and change your mind later if you find another app you like better.
